Life is a Struggle
by Literary Assassin
Summary: It's the end of the world as they know it. Andy and the Runway crew embark on a journey towards freedom, battling evil, and insecurity and the general nature of apocalypse. Will they make it to Andy's grandparents cabin? And more than that, will they still be the same people that left New York on that fateful day...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** The Devil Wears Prada, it's characters and it's general awesomeness is not mine, was never mine, will never be mine, and I therefore make no money, nor claim to it...except in my dreams.

**A/N:** So far I have 10 chapters, the first four of which have been beta-d. Anyone looking to speed it along is more than welcome to help with said beta-ing lol but bear with me :D

I feel I should address something quite soon before everyone starts waving pitchforks.  
It would be so easy to say that the 'bad guys' are one particular people (sorry, no zombies, werewolves, vampires, aliens, supernaturally stuff in this one...shocking I know), especially with the world loosing it's marbles like it is - however - I don't want to name a particular people/race/whatever as the 'bad guys'. Similarly...and I know it's a stretch...aside from a few major cities that I couldn't help but name, I am not naming exactly where the characters are, or where they are going. All of you know exactly where it's set, but that can't be helped, you'll all just have to imagine a place and assume it's correct. I don't want people to think I'm insulting a particular set of people - from wherever - so y'all gonna have to work with me a bit as well.  
So...hopefully that clears a few things up...or not, but there we have it.

Thanks to my beta - who knows who she is, AND to jazwriter, who many (MANY) moons ago helped me get this fic started. Having said that, any mistakes are mine, and make sure you tell me about them! I certainly won't catch them lol

-0-

Andy raced through the streets, pushing people out of the way as she did. A part of her wanted to scream at them to get out of the city, that they had to get away from the East Coast. She didn't have time for that now though, so pushed those thoughts aside and rushed across the road stopping in front of the Elias-Clarke building, contemplating perhaps the stupidest idea she'd ever had.

"Andy! How are you?" Jerry asked with a wide smile as Andy sped toward him. She might not have entered the building in the last two years, but people had liked her here; it probably had something to do with how friendly she was.

"I'm great, Jerry. Can you let me up? I won't be long. I just need to see Nigel about something."

Jerry fidgeted for a moment, no doubt wondering what the penalty would be if she was seen, but then he smiled and opened the gates. "Just stay out of _her_ way, Andy!" he chuckled as she raced through. Andy just waved and pumped the elevator button, desperately wishing it would arrive faster.

Once the doors opened, Andy didn't stop to even consider a moment of nostalgia as she walked quickly through the white corridors, ignoring the whispers and confused stares. She pushed open the outer doors to Miranda's offices and was greeted by two incredulous stares. Both of Miranda's new assistants watched, mouths agape, as Andy took a deep breath and, ignoring their protests, barged straight into Miranda's office. Andy pushed the doors open so forcefully that they crashed against the wall, the noise causing nearly all the people inside to jump and Jocelyn to squeak. And yet there was one in the room who didn't jump, didn't squeak, didn't even breathe as she stared up at Andy, who stood in the doorway.

"Emily," Miranda muttered quietly, refusing to meet Andy's eyes. "Find out why Andréa is here, then get rid of her. And be sure to make a phone call to that rag she works for and have her fired for interrupting the run-through."

Andy opened her mouth to protest when Miranda finally met her eyes, those bottomless blue orbs piercing her very soul, and for a moment she completely forgot why she was there.

"M-Miranda, I need to talk to you," Andy demanded somewhat hesitantly, jutting out her chin even as she stumbled over the editor's name.

"That's all," Miranda ordered her team, staying exactly where she was until everyone had exited her office. Andy watched as she got up and walked to the door, glaring at her two hapless-looking assistants before slamming the door behind her and rounding on Andy without warning.

"How dare you!" she hissed vehemently. Andy almost spoke as Miranda leant against her desk and stared out of her window for a moment. She seemed off balance somehow and Andy realised that she didn't have time to let Miranda be 'Miranda'.

"I don't have time for this," Andy said suddenly, moving fast and pinning Miranda against the desk, her hands firm on Miranda's shoulders. The Ice Queen looked incensed at the action, but Andy carried on quickly. "Miranda listen to me, and listen carefully, because of all the people in the world, I'm here telling you." She tried desperately to show Miranda how much she needed her to comprehend her next words, looking straight into her eyes and willing her to listen. "We need to leave New York -"

Miranda scoffed and rolled her eyes, pushing Andy away from her and walking back behind her desk. Andy had no idea what was wrong with Miranda, she seemed so unlike the Miranda that Andy remembered. She was all over the place but she knew she had to get the editor to concentrate for more than thirty seconds.

"MIRANDA!" Andy called out loudly. "Please! Listen to me."

"Do not raise your voice at me," Miranda hissed, recoiling from Andy's words.

Andy knew every one of Miranda's moods, had learned them so efficiently during her tenure at Runway that quite often she could predict what Miranda wanted before Miranda herself knew. She saw the fear residing in those beautiful blue eyes and took a step back, allowing Miranda to take her seat and collect her thoughts. She kept quiet and took in the iconic scene before her, revelling in it for a moment. After this day it may never happen again.

"Miranda, please just listen to me," Andy repeated softly, walking carefully around the desk and crouching in front of the editor. "Have you been reading my articles?" she asked, only so she could gauge how much she would need to explain. Miranda seemed to struggle with herself for a moment before she rolled her eyes and nodded reluctantly. "It's happening, Miranda. It's happening right now, and we have to get out of here. They're coming, and there's not a damn thing our government is going to do about it. They won't listen, and they won't be fighting back." Andy said, unashamedly letting a tear run down her face. "Of all the people in the world, Miranda, I'm here, telling you. We _need _to go."

Miranda's eyes opened wider than Andy had ever seen before as she just stared at her. Clearly she'd followed her articles a lot closer than Andy thought she had. Emily had told her that Miranda had taken out a subscription to The Mirror after Andy had departed Paris so perhaps it wasn't so surprising. The fear radiating from Miranda's eyes wasn't all that surprising either - Andy felt it too. Her colleagues had been warned, some of whom had decided to stay in New York to get the story of a lifetime. She thought they were idiots and had known as soon as she'd found out that she needed to get Miranda, her daughters and her friends away from the East Coast as soon as possible.

She could hear Miranda breathing hard, as if she was trying to stave off a panic attack and she reached forward, cautiously taking Miranda's hand in her own and waiting. If Miranda was anything like she had been when Andy had worked for her, she'd be running through all the whys and why nots that she could think of. Why hadn't the country rallied the troops? Why weren't there any contingency plans? Andy just waited for her, smiling as she eventually looked over, meeting her gaze as she swallowed thickly.

"It's impossible. Somebody would have told me. We would already be rousing the troops and working on contingency plans," Miranda said, confirming Andy's thoughts. She could tell from Miranda's tone that she needed to explain why she was here as soon as possible.

"Miranda, there won't be a fight, and there won't be a contingency plan. Where are they supposed to put us? There are too many people to move, and _they_ are using that to their advantage," Andréa whispered, taking Miranda's hand and tugging a little bit as she stood. "I've called my parents and my friends, but you're the one I'm here to get, Miranda. We need to go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it's out of the city."

"And where would you have me go, Andréa? What about my girls? _Runway?_"

In a fit of rage Andy knocked the laptop off the desk, sending it into the wall where it split in half with a few sparks and a little smoke while Miranda stared, perplexed.

"What-" Miranda began, only to be interrupted.

"I don't give a DAMN about _Runway_. We need to leave now, because _they _are coming, and _they_ are not pleasant people. If we get stuck here Miranda, there is absolutely no way I can protect you. So pull your head out of your ass and let's go."

Miranda sat still, her mouth ajar as she looked up at Andy. She was clearly astonished by Andy's behaviour, but Andy had changed, and she wasn't ashamed of that fact anymore. She was a hardened reporter who'd been on assignment for the last year and half in a country that lived and breathed hostile. She was making waves in the journalism industry by reporting on things that people in power didn't want to take responsibility for and now this was happening.

"Please," Andy whispered changing tact and locking her eyes with Miranda's, taking her hand once more.

Miranda nodded a fraction after staring into Andy's eyes for a while and leaned forward to push the intercom button on her phone.

"Emily?" Miranda arched an eyebrow in response to Andréa's eye roll. "Get Nigel, Serena, and Emily back in here, then inform the entire staff I will speak to them in Conference Room 2 in five minutes. That's all."

Miranda didn't wait for the inevitable answer before she hung up on the girl. Andy couldn't help but smile at the memories. It had been possibly the hardest eight months of her life but she'd learnt so much working for Miranda.

"You don't call any of them Andréa I suppose?" Andy said grinning cheekily.

Miranda pursed her lips, but appeared to appreciate the humour as it eased the tension in the room.

"Why would I do that? There was only one of you yet there are a million Emilys, and before you say anything else, her name is in fact Emily," Miranda said, patting Andy's hand but not looking at her as she picked up her phone and punched a number into the keypad.

"Pick up my girls and take them to the townhouse immediately," she snapped into the phone, throwing it down when her order had been acknowledged .

Andy turned her hand in Miranda's, squeezing the editor's fingers gently before they were interrupted by a boisterous call from the door.

"Six!" Nigel cried, pulling the woman forward into a hug, and severing the women's tentative connection. Andy knew he would have seen it, but understanding him like she did, she also knew he would never say anything, at least not in front of Miranda.

Andy greeted her former colleagues, happy that the honest affection they all held for each other had remained, despite her desertion. She'd almost forgotten why she was there when Emily smiled shyly at her, letting her pull her in for a hug.

There was a little catching up before Miranda's voice broke through their chatter, rendering them silent.

"You are all here for one reason- Andréa's articles. No doubt you have all been following," at this Nigel and Serena nodded happily while Emily only sniffed again, making Andy smirk. "It seems that our administration is no better than my ex-husbands, choosing simply to roll over and take what's coming. As such, we are all leaving. Today," she said definitively, startling them all into silence.

"What?" Andy said, confused.

"I do not enjoy repeating myself, Andréa, but I believe I said we are all leaving, now, together."

"Miranda, I don't understand," Nigel admitted, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on a handkerchief.

"There is nothing to understand. We will be leaving from the townhouse in four hours. I suggest you use the time to tell whomever you like and pack lightly but efficiently for a long trip, one that you may not come back from, at least for the foreseeable future," she said unashamedly, standing and leaving the room to address her lesser-liked minions.

-0-

"Andy, what the hell is going on?" Nigel asked, choosing to ask her rather than brave asking Miranda anything when she returned.

"I came to tell Miranda that we needed to get out of the city. I was going to drop into you guys on the way out, but I figured she would take the longest to persuade," Andy said while running her hands through her hair. "However, it seems as though you lot are officially in the loop."

"What are you all still doing here?" Miranda spat when she came back into the room. "Andréa, how much time do we have?"

Andy looked at her watch and shrugged.

"It should start sometime tomorrow," she said, "but I couldn't guarantee it."

Miranda nodded and glared at her three staff members.

"I would suggest you go and pack," she said, her tone not cold, but not pleasant either. "Leave anything you can replace."

The three staff members seemed to shake themselves out of their shock and nodded, leaving together quickly. Miranda turned to Andy, who smiled awkwardly.

"Andréa?" Miranda said softly. "Help me?" she asked, pointing to her desk.

Andy nodded and moved to help Miranda bundle up all the important papers and put them in the safe. No matter what might happen in the near future, it wouldn't do to have people rummaging through her confidential papers. Should it all turn out for the best, it would all still be here, hopefully, when they got back.

"Shall we?" Andy asked once Miranda had locked and secured the safe.

Miranda nodded and allowed Andy to help her into her coat, making her suddenly feel like she was back at _Runway_ for just a moment - especially when Miranda stalked off to the elevator without waiting for her. The editor nodded her head once to allow Andy entry before they sped down to the ground floor.

"Do you need to pack up your things?" Miranda said quietly as they sat in the back of the limo. Roy wasn't driving, and Andy was a little upset at not being able to warn the man. She had liked him a lot.

"Um, yeah, but it will only take me maybe half an hour," Andy said with a shrug. "When I went away, I sent a lot of stuff home to my parents. They're not really close to anything, so they should be alright for now. I think they're getting everything sorted and then going up to my grandparent's lodge north of the border," she explained. It was surreal talking about normal things with Miranda. Actually it was surreal talking to Miranda at any time, but the situation they were facing blew Andy's mind just a little more.

"We will drop you at your apartment," Miranda said, nodding to her driver. "Pack the rest of your things and come straight to the townhouse. We will be leaving as soon as the jet is fuelled and we are all ready."

"Since when do you have a jet?" Andy asked, looking sideways at her former boss. She watched as Miranda smirked a little before schooling her features and nodding to the door as the car stopped.

"Poker," Miranda said, making Andy stop and gawk at her.

"Are you serious?"

Miranda simply smirked again and motioned for the girl to exit the vehicle. A thought crossed Andy's mind and she faltered, bending down before she closed the door and regarding Miranda for a moment.

"Do, will there be an extra two seats, do you think?" she asked awkwardly. "My, well they're my best friends," she whispered with a frown, remembering that there were other people in this city who were not as fortunate in their friends as she was.

"Andréa, two people only; that is all. If they are not at the townhouse by the time I am ready to leave, they _will _be left behind." Andy watched as Miranda nodded to the driver, who flicked on his turn signal. "I-" Miranda took a breath. "Hurry, Andréa," she urged, closing the door.

Andy watched the limo pull away, feeling those familiar feelings deep within her chest flutter back to life. She'd taken the assignment overseas to get away from her feelings, the ones she refused to acknowledge and yet here she was, in a situation only a sci-fi writer could have dreamt up, being ferried away from the danger zone by the very woman she had run away from. She hoped to God this would end up alright.

She flipped open her phone and placed two calls, the first to Doug and a second to Lily who didn't answer. She threw the remainder of her clothes into a bag, along with a few books, a pack of cards and other sundry items.

"Poker indeed," she whispered as she tried Lily again.

"Lils, where are you?"

"Andy, oh my God, are you alright? Where are you?" Andy rolled her eyes and waited for Lily to answer her question. "Oh right, I'm at the airport and I have about three minutes until I board my flight. I'm on a one way trip to Paris!" Lily gushed, causing Andy to shake her head

"Lily-"

"You can get one too, can't you? Isn't that what you're doing? Can you imagine Andy? Paris!"

"No, yeah, that's great Lils, yeah I have my own way out. Take care of yourself, Lily."

"You too, girlfriend," Lily replied. Andy smiled, hearing the excitement in her voice; at least someone was enjoying themselves.

Finally hanging up the phone, Andy threw it on the bed and rolled her eyes. She loved Lily, but really that girl was ridiculous. Clearly as soon as she'd heard what was happening, Lily had booked a one way ticket to Europe and only seemed to be concerned with saving herself. Doug had panicked for a while when Andy had told him and that meant he couldn't have heard from Lily, either. She shook her head again and placed the few photos she had of her parents in her backpack. It wasn't anything close to Vuitton, but it had served her well when she had been on assignment. It was comfortable and durable and she could fit a lot of "stuff" in it after a year and a half of practice.

Her phone rang and she spent the next ten minutes reassuring her parents that she was fine and had a way out of the big, bad city. Andy instructed them what to do with her things before telling them she loved them and hanging up. They were definitely going to Gram'ma and Grandpa's cabin and Andy was glad of it. She lodged the information in the back of her mind and took one more look around her apartment before closing the door behind her, a tear rolling down her cheek. She couldn't lose it now, though. After taking a deep breath, Andy raced to the subway, her sole focus on reaching Miranda's home.

-0-

Miranda answered the doorbell, her hair slightly askew as a door above them was slammed shut.

"Hey," Andy greeted her quietly. Miranda sagged a little when she saw her, but only those closest to her would have noticed.

"It is not going well," Miranda said with a sigh as another door banged. Andy nodded sympathetically.

"Are you packed?" Andy asked, looking around for bags of some description, hoping that at least some of Miranda's packing had been done. The woman pinched the bridge of her nose, making Andy frown.

"Hey," she said, touching Miranda's arm gently in an almost fleeting show of comfort. "How about you get ready, and I'll talk to the girls? We got on alright when I was your assistant; maybe I can just get them to go along with this for now," Andy said, nudging the door closed with her foot, after belatedly realising that it was still open behind them. "I wasn't sure what your luggage was like, so I stopped and got you all one of these," she said, pulling out three sturdy hiking bags. "If we have to carry them any distance, they'll be easier."

She watched as Miranda bristled for a moment, but Andy simply waited as the fashionable part of Miranda warred with the practical.

"I cannot be seen carrying something so pedestrian," she said finally, making Andy shake her head.

"Miranda, they are practical, far more practical than a suitcase, and the rest of us will all have one, I know that for a fact. Now I bought these specially for you and the girls and you're going to use them."

Those two sides continued to war internally until Miranda held out her hand and accepted one of the bags.

"Fine, but you can explain to the twins about them," she said derisively. "I imagine they'll be even more horrified than I will." She turned around and made her way up the stairs in silence.

"Miranda?" Andy waited until the editor turned around before saying what she knew she needed to say. "I know you are who you are, but the more practical your clothing is the better. Like you told the others, if it can be replaced, then leave it behind."

"I am Miranda Priestly, I have standards Andréa," she replied haughtily.

"I get that Miranda, I really do, but what if we get to Canada and we have to stay there for a while, what if we have to travel somewhere not on a plane? I know what you want to pack, the first time I went away I was the same; things you think you'll need, but Miranda, listen to me," Andy moved forward and in a fit of bravery, placed her hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. "I pack with the thought that if we got stuck somewhere for one day longer than you could stand, what would you need."

Miranda didn't turn but nodded once, finally getting the message and continued up the stairs, disappearing without another word.

Andy swallowed nervously as she looked up at the stairs. Those famous stairs. She snorted her amusement at the predicament she was now facing walking up them confidently but at the same time she realised how silly she was being. She followed the muffled noises behind the doors at the end of the corridor, one marked Caroline and the other Cassidy.

She knocked on the one that seemed to have the most noise coming from it and got a rather rude dismissal for her trouble. Andy's eyes shot open at the language one of the twins used towards what she thought was her mother, and found herself opening the door, despite her reservations.

"Hi, girls. I'm not sure if you remember me, but—"

"Andy?" the girl she recognised as Cassidy questioned. It was the earrings that gave her away. Cassidy wore fairies with diamond-studded wings; Caroline, a pair of shoes also littered with diamonds. Both sets of earrings reflected the twins' personalities perfectly; Caroline taking after their mother, while Cassidy was a little more fanciful believing in fairies and dragons, and princes and princesses.

"Hey, munchkins," Andy said, smiling as she knelt in front of the two girls. Caroline had yet to acknowledge her, but that didn't matter for now. Cassidy flung herself forward and wrapped her arms around Andy, crying into her shoulder. Andy wrapped her lanky arms around the girl, muttering gentle reassurances as she rubbed the girl's back.

"Is it true?" Cassidy asked once she stopped sobbing. Andy noticed Caroline had also stopped her apparent tantrum and was standing remarkably still as she listened to Andy confirm their worst fears.

"'fraid so, little one." Andy gently took Caroline's hand when she saw her bottom lip wobble. "But we're going to be fine. You know your mother would move heaven and earth for you two, and that's just what she's going to do."

"She said we have to go, that we have to leave here," Caroline whispered, looking teary-eyed at Andy, nearly breaking the woman's heart.

"Yeah, we have to," Andy said just as quietly, "but you, your sister and your mum will be together, so it won't be so bad."

"And you?" Cassidy asked, pulling her head up quickly, making Andy grin.

"Yeah and me, Nigel, Serena and Emily. We're all going."

"We can't leave Patricia," Caroline said while hugging her pillow. It seemed that both girls had lost the fight from their arguments, and now they were just heartbroken at the thought of leaving.

"You'll have to ask your mother about that," Andy said carefully, not wanting to project any false hope onto the twins, but when she saw Cassidy's face, she wondered if she'd said the wrong thing.

"Patricia died last year. She's buried in the yard," the young girl whispered. Andy frowned. She had liked the big fur ball, even though she had made Andy's life hell, and she knew that the girls had loved her, no matter how little time they'd spent actually taking care of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, girls," Andy said, "but Patricia wouldn't want you to stay here and maybe get hurt just so she could be near you." Andy cringed internally at how stupid she sounded. Caroline rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. "More than that, I don't want to see you get hurt either. So go and grab your stuff and make sure you put them in these," she said pulling out the remaining bags she'd bought. "They're far more practical than a suitcase, and your mother has already agreed to using one." Cassidy nodded dejectedly and leaned in for another cuddle before she went to her own room, leaving Caroline and Andy alone.

"Why did you tell Mom and not your parents or someone else?" Caroline asked looking awfully like her mother as she studied Andy and the nondescript bag, her upset forgotten for now. Andy sighed and leant back on the dresser, glancing at her watch.

"Because I care about your mother," Andy said, knowing that Caroline was far too like Miranda to attempt a lie.

"Thought so," Caroline said with a decisive nod before getting up and opening her arms. Andy smiled as she moved forward and gave Caroline a quicker hug than she had given her sister. "She was really sad when you left," Caroline whispered before going to her closet and pulling out her clothes.

Andy was left reeling, but it seemed as though Caroline was done with her, ignoring her as she piled her outfits, laptop, and Game Boy on her bed.

"Caroline?" Andy said gently, waiting for the girl to turn around. "I was sad, too," she admitted almost hesitantly before glancing at the items Caroline had in her hand. "Try to only pack things you can't replace, sweetie, things you would need if you were going camping," she said, patting Caroline on the shoulder on her way out of the room. She smiled grimly as she noticed Caroline looking down at all six of her make-up cases, no doubt wondering which ones she could do without. As Andy exited the room, she heard the doorbell ring. Andy turned to see a rather harried Miranda storming out of her room.

"Andréa?" she asked, motioning to the door. Andy nodded and smiled as she opened the door to allow Emily and Serena into the hallway, complete with two sensible bags a piece.

"I can't believe you brought those things into Miranda's house," Emily grumbled, looking condescendingly at the backpacks Serena had lugged through the door.

"Believe it or not, they're more practical than_ Louis Vuitton_," Serena bit back sharply, smiling slightly as she saw Andy's bashed up backpack by the door in the sitting room. "See, Andy has one, too."

Andy bit her lip as Emily spun around and glared at Serena.

"How is that better?! She's going to kill us when she sees these."

Serena pouted at Emily and moved forward, tucking a piece of hair behind the Brit's ear.

"Baby, it's going to be alright," she whispered tenderly, leaning her forehead against the other woman's. Andy smiled and left the room quietly, only to bump into Miranda as she did, who was staring thoughtfully at the two woman having a quiet moment in each other's arms.

"Well," she said quietly, motioning for Andy to follow her into the kitchen.

"They've been together a while," Andy said gently, shocking Miranda a little. "They got together just after I left." Miranda bristled a little.

"And how are you so up to date?" Miranda demanded, pouring herself a scotch. It was as if the world had suddenly gone quiet; everything was still as they waited for the inevitable— the calm before the storm.

"We, we kept in touch," she admitted, making Miranda frown.

"Fine," Miranda said darkly, leaving Andy alone and confused in the kitchen. One day perhaps she would understand Miranda, even if only a little better.

"Ha, or hell will freeze over," she muttered as she poured herself a mouthful of vodka.

"Probably," Nigel said from the doorway, interrupting her thoughts. "I found this. Does it belong to you?" he pulled the body behind him forward, and Andy smiled as she ran to Doug.

"Hey you," he said, hugging her tightly.

"We all here?" Nigel asked. It seemed in the absence of Miranda they deferred to Andy as leader, but before she could reply, Miranda appeared in the hallway.

"We are waiting on two more people who will be here momentarily." She motioned them all into the sitting room. "The plane will be ready in twenty minutes, and we are just waiting on Roy and his wife to arrive before we can leave." Andy noticed how Miranda ignored their stares, for providing an explanation to them regarding the wait. Sighing, Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose again as she closed her eyes. "Roy has been my driver ever since I became the editor of _Runway_, and as it happens, he is a former Marine," she continued. "His presence will be extremely welcome." Miranda shrugged, looking suspiciously relieved when her daughters entered the room, preventing anyone from asking questions.

"Ready," they said in stereo as they looked around before walking over to Doug.

"Who are you?" one of them asked, making him smile. Andy had told him plenty about them over the years. She stood up quickly.

"Oh, sorry, um, everyone this is Doug. Um, Dougie, this is Em, Serena, Nigel, and Miranda Priestly," she introduced awkwardly. Doug got up, nodded to everyone, and offered his hand to Miranda.

"It's an honour to meet you, Ms Priestly," he said genuinely. Miranda took his hand and nodded back.

"Please call me Miranda, Douglas," she replied, making him smile.

"Yes, Ma'am." He turned back to the twins and crouched down in front of them with a quizzical look on his face.

"Now, you must be Cassidy," he said pointing at the correct twin, "and you," he said politely, "must be Caroline. Pleasure to meet you both." He crossed his arms, one over the other, and offered his hands to the twins for handshakes. Cassidy seemed to take a liking to him immediately and gripped his hand, shaking it with gusto. Andy was relieved to see that even Caroline shook it with a barely concealed grin.

A car horn sounded from the front of the house, and Miranda crossed to the window and nodded.

"Roy is here. Please collect your baggage and take it to the vehicle."

She did not move from her spot as the rest of them piled out of the house. Even the twins were caught up with the excitement of the moment and only paused to look back at the house once before Doug took on the role of distracting them, helped along by Andy's nod as she greeted Roy and met his wife. Just as she was about to board the bus, Andy realised that they were without Miranda.

"I'll get her luggage," Roy said quietly, leaving Doug and the twins to load the baggage into the minibus Roy must have rented to take them to the airport. Andy nodded and poked her head into every room until she found Miranda standing at a window in what looked like her office, looking out over the back yard.

"Hey," Andy whispered, standing next to her. "I know it's hard Miranda, but we need to go." As they stood together, the back of Miranda's hand brushed Andy's in a way that made Andy believe it was accidental until the hand found its way back to that particular position and her little finger curled around Andy's.

"I have lived in this house since I earned my first pay check as editor," Miranda whispered, standing tensely, her finger still loosely gripping Andréa's. "I raised my children here; I buried my dog here."

"Maybe one day we'll come back, but it's just a house, Miranda," Andy began carefully. "The most important things are already on the bus, probably being taught how to spit paper gobs and sing bawdy songs by my oldest friend," she said with a smile as Miranda turned to her, dropping her hand as if she hadn't noticed how their pinkies had intertwined.

"Well then," she said, bringing herself up to her full height and gazing into Andréa's eyes, hopefully finding some sort of strength in them. "I will have to go and supervise."

She waved Andréa on, taking a final look around before she locked the door with a definitive click. Andy took solace in the fact that wherever they ended up would be better than the alternative there in New York in twelve hours.

"Miranda," Roy nodded to her as she left the house. She nodded back and gave him the barest hint of a smile as she climbed into the minibus. "My wife, Claire," Roy introduced the rather pretty, older woman sitting behind the driver's seat.

"Ms Priestly," she nodded as Miranda nodded back, extending her hand.

"Miranda will be fine, Claire," Miranda said absently as she moved to sit next to a window while Andréa helped Roy load the rest of the bags. Andy vaulted into the bus as Roy followed quickly. Andy had already noticed that the traffic had become heavy as she had walked the short distance from the subway to Miranda's home, but it was steadily getting worse. They needed to hurry.

"Andréa," Miranda whispered as Andy began walking past her to find a seat.

Andy stopped to check if Miranda had actually spoken. Miranda, however, was looking out of the window. Something about the way she was sitting alerted Andy to the very real danger that Miranda Priestly was extremely close to losing it. She sat down gently next to the editor, earning a respectful nod from Nigel, who seemed to be of the same opinion as she was. The bus started moving, and suddenly everyone was silent, realising that what they were doing was real. Andy could see that Miranda was seriously struggling to keep it together; her breathing was quick and shallow as she tried to stop herself from falling apart.

The twins were being brave, talking with Doug in the back, while Emily and Serena, sitting two rows behind her, were conversing quietly. Andy reached out hesitantly, fairly sure that she was about to be verbally eviscerated, but willing to be the sacrificial lamb if it would give Miranda something else to focus on. Andy held her breath as she made contact, watching carefully as Miranda turned sharply in her direction. Andy could see the shock in Miranda's eyes as her fingers gently and very slowly stroked Miranda's with barely a whisper of a touch. She turned around in her seat and began talking to Doug and the girls, feeling Miranda's stare burn her. Andy gave a soft sigh of relief when she felt Miranda lean back in the uncomfortable bus seat. Andy continued to stroke Miranda's hand gently without calling attention to what was occurring. As she turned back around, Andy caught Miranda's reflection in the window and nearly gasped. Miranda Priestly was smiling. Andy knew in that moment that her decision to find Miranda and make her leave the city had been worth the risk. She had no doubt whatsoever that as long as Miranda was by her side, they would be alright.


	2. Chapter 2

-0-

The airport was chaotic, but being with Miranda Priestly helped immensely as they skirted the entire terminal, making their way through the dignitary's exit and out onto the tarmac almost without pause. Clearly most of the airport staff knew what was happening as they scrambled around to finish their shifts, many of them having left already. The word was well and truly out now, and people were beginning to panic. Miranda sported a steely look while they swept through the airport, each twin hanging onto her hands, as the rest of the entourage followed in her wake pushing trolleys of baggage. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Andy couldn't help but think it was not all that different from how travelling with Miranda usually was.

"Just like old times," Nigel muttered to Andy, obviously having the same thought as she had as they all trailed out onto the tarmac.

"Looks like you have your own runway," Doug said with barely a hint of a smile, lightening the mood considerably while Roy helped them all up the steps of the plane.

"Very droll, Douglas," Miranda said, shaking her head. "Girls, please get on the plane and put your seatbelts on so we can leave as soon as possible."

Roy talked to the pilots for a moment as Andy helped Miranda on board. Both men explained that they were from the North, and had no family here in New York.

"We'll get you there," one of them said cheerfully. "Not to worry."

Roy nodded and helped Claire on the plane, smiling when she gasped at the opulence of the cabin.

"It's okay," Andy said, helping the woman find a seat and store her luggage as Roy helped Serena and Emily. "I won't say you get used to it, but it does become less shocking over time," she said patting Claire's hand comfortingly.

Andy made sure everyone was seated and nodded to Roy, who helped the co-pilot draw up the steps of the plane.

"Right. We're off," the pilot said with a nod, returning to the cockpit.

"Andréa," Miranda breathed, once again only just loud enough for her to hear. Andy turned around to see a spare seat next to Miranda, and she smiled at the twins opposite them as she sat next to the editor.

"Where are we going, Mom?" Cassidy asked as she pulled out her iPod, ignoring the muttering coming over the PA.

"We're going North to begin with, to Andrea's grandparent's lodge," Miranda said. "Then we shall reassess and work out where to go from there." The little girl nodded and inserted her earphones. Andy leant back in her chair, breathing deeply as she looked around the plane. Lily was already headed to Europe, and her parents were on their way to her grandparents' cabin, if they weren't there already. Airport travel would be a lot easier from the Midwest than it would be from New York but she was here, safely ensconced in a private jet on the way to the lodge. Miranda, her daughters and everybody else she'd come to care about would be safe. Closing her eyes, she smiled, letting an air of calmness wash over her as she felt the plane begin to taxi.

-0-

Andy was coaxed out of sleep by the softest tickle across her hand. In the haze between wakefulness and sleep, she curled her body tighter but kept her hand in place, without really knowing what she was doing. When she was finally awake enough to open her eyes, she smiled as she watched the sleeping twins before realising that the movements on her hand had not halted after she woke. She glanced down and nearly choked when she saw Miranda's perfectly manicured fingers gently playing with her own, tracing the contours and the grooves and pulling on them gently, bending the tip of Andy's nail in a move that Andy found oddly endearing.

Andy didn't want it to stop, but she knew that if Miranda realised she was awake, she might close off completely. So she feigned a yawn, but couldn't help herself from twitching her fingers around Miranda's, biting off a smile as she heard a gasp.

"Hmm, I trust you slept well?" Miranda said with disinterest as she peered into The Book. Andy frowned as she watched Miranda tear apart a particular paragraph and leaned over to confirm she was not seeing things.

"Um, Miranda, I know I just woke up, but what are you doing?" Andy glanced at Nigel across the aisle, who just shook his head and shrugged.

"Andréa, you know how I despise explaining my actions," Miranda sniffed, only looking up as one of the twins mumbled in her sleep. She took off her glasses, running the arm over her lips in a move that Andy knew well. She'd had it directed at her many a time when she had worked for the powerful woman, and it always had made her feel the same way.

Hot.

For a moment Andy desperately wished she was that pair of glasses. She knew she had rather strong feelings for Miranda but right now they were simmering just under the surface after such an emotional rollercoaster of a day.

"I'm just, um, going to talk to Nigel," Andy practically growled, making one of Miranda's eyebrows hike in question.

"Hey Nig'," Andy whispered as she sat next to him, taking his hand. The man looked a little worse for wear, and was the only one of their extended party except for Miranda not sleeping.

"Hey," he managed to croak, grabbing onto her hand as they felt a rather sudden drop in altitude.

The turbulence had woken nearly everyone up and Andy looked around as Roy got up, moving to the front to speak to the pilots as an announcement came over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. It appears we've come across a small problem, so if you'd all return to your seats we'll try and get you out of this as soon as possible. Should anything untoward happen while we are doing so, please make sure you've read and understood the safety cards, found under your seat."

Nigel's eyes widened almost comically and Roy rushed back to his seat.

"Roy, where are we?" Andy asked, kissing Nigel's cheek and leaving him to do as they were told.

"Somewhere over the North West," he said. "The pilot said that we had to divert around a storm to the north and well, we've stumbled onto trouble." She watched as he buckled Claire into her seat and squeezed her hand. "Please go back to your seat Andy, you really - it's bad."

Andy was about to when she spied something out of Roy's open blind.

"Roy, what -?"

A bright flash lit up the night sky and as Andy leant over Roy and his wife she stared in horror at what could only be described as chaos. "Son-of-a-" The plane dropped dramatically once more as an explosion erupted just off the wing.

One of the overhead compartments flew open sending a number of bags flying and Roy rushed with Andy to get it sorted.

"You need to go and get in your seat. This could get ugly," Roy mumbled as the plane gave another lurch.

"Roy, what on earth is going on?" Miranda asked nonchalantly. He cringed at the apparent indifference in her voice, but he knew better. He knew what she was like and he was in great danger of poking the dragon.

"Miranda, is your seatbelt on?" he asked, checking the girls and ignoring their grumbles, even in sleep.

"Of course not, have you any idea how much this jacket costs?" she replied testily, completely ready to tear strips off him for nearly waking the girls.

"Miranda, we don't have time for this shit, just put your belt on," he snapped, losing his patience with her even as Andy moved to placate her.

"Miranda?" Andy began diplomatically. "You know that Roy wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think it was important, and with all this turbulence, it's for your safety," she said looking into Miranda's eyes. Her mental pleading seemed to show through which made Miranda still and allow Andréa to place her hands either side of her hips and buckle her into her seat.

As the plane dropped again Andy was sure she heard an explosion and desperately hoped that it wasn't as close as she thought it was. Leaning over Miranda she opened the blind, her eyes locked on what she could see in the darkness.

"Oh my God!" she whispered, taking in what she could whenever the sky lit up.

"Andréa, remove yourself from my person this instant," Miranda snapped, breaking Andy away from the horrific sight. Swallowing thickly she closed the blinds quickly she leaned back, trying to keep her breathing under control.

"Must you breathe so loudly," Miranda shot, trying not to look at Andréa.

She knew Miranda hated flying and only put up with it because it was part of her job. If Miranda could drive everywhere she would, and the turbulence would no doubt have put her on edge. For one thing, Andy could no longer see The Book.

La Priestly would soon be making an appearance on the plane.

Roy, having secured all their luggage, had told Serena, Emily and Doug what was going on, leaving Andy to break it to Miranda. Andy smiled grimly at Doug, who moved from his seat to the one beside Nigel, and Andy was glad of it. Roy in the meantime had spoken to the pilots again, making sure to come back and whisper to her that the pilots weren't that confident of getting out unscathed. Andy nodded, feeling the adrenaline pumping in her veins and steeled her nerves to try and explain it to Miranda.

"There is no need to whisper," Miranda snapped. "I am perfectly capable of withstanding whatever diatribe you are no doubt saying about me."

Andy wondered why Miranda was so angry, and assumed that the woman had held it together for so long that the backlash was inevitable really and she would erupt at one of them soon. Clearly Miranda's thoughts were loud in her head and blocking out everything else because aside from the twins who were still fast asleep everyone could hear now what was going on outside.

"I know what you are both doing," Miranda continued, gripping the chair tightly as the plane lurched. The woman threw off her seatbelt and stood, holding onto the back of her seat for dear life.

"Miranda, please, sit down!" Andy pleaded, shooting a glance at Roy who was perched on the edge of his seat, as if ready to pounce on her.

"No, I will not do that and you will not make me,_ Ahn-dray-ah_," she spat in contempt.

By now the tension inside the plane was stifling and she could feel everyone's eyes on her as Miranda eviscerated her.

"Miranda, you don't understand -" Roy started, leaping up and catching Miranda as the plane banked sharply to the left, sending both of them careening into the seats opposite.

"Imbeciles!" she hissed as her clutched Roy's arms to stop herself from rolling down the aisle of the aeroplane. "What do they think they are doing?"

Her voice didn't seem to rise above a whisper, but the occupants could hear it loud and clear over the now almost constant rumblings outside.

"Have they never encountered a spot of bad weather before?" she asked, righting herself and brushing the creases from her suit.

"Miranda, sit down," Andy said getting up and walking towards her, waving off Nigel's help as well. If anyone was going to get up, it might as well be her. "Sit down and I will show you why," she said carefully, like she was talking to a real dragon - slow and steady. "Please Miranda, you need to see this."

Miranda pursed her lips, no doubt contemplating Andy's punishment until she met Andy's eyes.

"Look," Andréa whispered as she opened the blinds again. "Just look."

Andy watched sadly as Miranda's mind seemed to come to a screaming halt as she looked out of the window. She observed as the normally ice cold editor did away with schooling her features and her usual façade of control crashed spectacularly from her face as she watched the horrifying spectacle. She flinched as an explosion lit up the plane and judging from the shudders it was not too far away from the wing. Miranda's breathing was unsteady and she looked to be in the beginning throes of a panic attack. Andy reached over and took her hand, trying to pour all of her hidden feelings into that one tentative connection she had with the woman of her dreams and watched as Miranda relaxed briefly, sitting back in her seat. Miranda turned a little and came face to face with Andy and for a moment, everything was still.

The movements of Andy's fingers now mimicked the movements Miranda had been making on her own hand at the beginning of the trip. Andy studied those hands, waiting for them to be pulled away, or, if Miranda was really feeling awful, a slap. Neither came and she looked back up into Miranda's eyes and saw everything she needed to see in a mere instant. There was no embarrassment or even anger, just trust, a little fear and a whole lot of something else that Andy couldn't read. Andy gasped as the corners of Miranda's mouth twitched a little and her hand turned over underneath Andy's, leaving them palm to palm as those long fingers intertwined with her own, making her catch her breath. As the plane lurched once more Andy felt peaceful, knowing that Miranda felt at least a part of what she felt.

"It will be alright," Andy said quietly, leaning over her to pull the blind down again. "Whatever happens, it will be alright," Miranda nodded once and sat deadly still, looking straight ahead at her twins. Despite the turbulence and the noises around them, they were still asleep and Andy rejoiced in the trust those beautiful children had in the adults around them.

"Everyone keep your seatbelts on!" Roy barked as the plane dropped significantly. Miranda's hand tightened around Andy's and she ran her thumb over the impossibly soft hand curled tightly around her own. Everyone was poised on the edge of panic, controlling their own rolling feelings by the very last vestiges of their strength.

Andy watched as the twins blinked almost in unison, yawning as they awoke and stretched their little bodies. They'd filled out a little in the two years that Andy hadn't seen them. They were growing older and their bodies showed that, even if their minds hadn't quite caught up yet.

"Mommy?" Cassidy mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She looked around at the occupants of the plane, no doubt taking in the general tension present in everyone's face, before turning back to her mother, who Andy knew without looking was watching her closely. "Mom, what's going on?"

Caroline was still half asleep, but she would soon be able to see what her sister was talking about. Miranda looked ill and wasn't the only one who was as white as a sheet. Despite her gallant effort Andy knew her own face was betraying her fear, and also just how hard Caroline's mother was squeezing her hand.

"Nothing bobbsies, everything's fine," Miranda said flatly, flinching at her tone. "Just," she glanced at Andréa, who managed a forced smile, "just stay in your seats and tighten your seatbelts."

The lights flickered above them and Caroline grabbed Cassidy's hand, knowing that something other than 'nothing' was happening right now. The atmosphere felt like it could be cut with a knife and Andy turned around to see Doug and Nigel talking quietly, leaning close together.

As Andy turned back, she watched in slow motion as Cassidy reached over to open the blinds, ignoring her mother's out of character squawk not to.

And then everything went to hell.

Andy wasn't sure what happened first, but the crackling of static from the pilot's announcement that never came and the flickering of the cabin lights before turning off altogether and plunging them into darkness only meant bad things. She couldn't be sure whether the plane banked left or right, or whether she was just reeling from the horrendously loud boom that was so close to the side of the plane, and for a moment Andy was sure she could feel the heat from the explosion before Caroline managed to close the blinds.

Nothing had ever frightened her more than this moment.

Andy looked around as the plane went into a dive, shaking around as they sped towards the earth. She could hear Roy shouting, but couldn't tell what he was saying. She looked to her right and saw Miranda sitting so serenely they could have been on a yacht in the Caribbean. Her eyes were fixed on the beautiful faces of her children and Andy's heart broke at the thought of Miranda not having more time with them. Everything stood still as Miranda glanced at Andy, who was gripping the arm of the seat so tightly she felt her nails bending backwards. Their eyes didn't leave each other's for a long minute and Andy committed everything she could to memory. If this was to be her last moment on earth, she wanted to go out looking at Miranda.

She watched almost disconnected from her body as the older woman drew their joined hands up to her mouth and pressed a lingering kiss to her skin before she reluctantly let go and reached across the small space to take the hands of her daughters. They were everything to her, and Andy didn't begrudge the lost contact as she watched Miranda and her daughters gripping each other's hands with tears in her eyes.

"I love you," Miranda said making sure both girls were looking at her. "All I have done, everything I have faced, has been for you and only ever you," she said. Andy couldn't help the sob that fell from her mouth and she sat forward as well, resting her hand on Miranda's leg and taking Cassidy's other hand.

Andy wasn't a mother, but she knew that there must be so many other things that she wanted to tell them, many things she would have wanted for them. Cassidy was crying and gripping both her mother and Andy's hand so tightly there would be marks on their skin. Caroline merely looked straight ahead at Miranda, refusing to cry like her mother would in the face of such a situation. Andy tried to smile at Cassidy, and pressed as much of her body against Miranda's side.

Andy wished she could have a little more time. She would have given anything to explore this tentative connection she had with Miranda, would have given anything to experience waking up beside the editor, her skin warm and unclothed after a night of little sleep and endless love. She wished she could have joined them all for birthdays and Christmases. She wished they could have walked through Central Park together, watching as Caroline and Cassidy ran through the autumn leaves with a dog, perhaps a golden retriever this time. She would have liked to maybe have a child. She'd never thought about it before, never thought it possible after the life-altering revelation that she loved Miranda Priestly with all of her being.

Miranda glanced at her again and then did something Andy couldn't believe; she smiled. Not a 'Miranda Priestly attending a charity function' smile, but a real smile, one that crinkled the edge of her eyes and the bump on her nose. Andy's heart exploded and she leaned her forehead against Miranda's, chuckling through her tears as Miranda gave her an Eskimo kiss. She wondered how long it had been since Miranda had smiled like that, had it been when she was married? She'd seen the pictures of Miranda's last wedding and she hadn't seemed that happy. Andy somehow knew that this smile was usually reserved for the twins, a smile that first made its appearance when Miranda was handed those little bundles of pink blankets - messier and louder than she probably expected them to be, but it hadn't mattered. Miranda leaned back, keeping hold of her children's hands, but turned to Andy, opening her mouth to tell her something as the disembodied voice of the pilot came over the PA.

"WE'RE GOING DOWN!"

And then, nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The reception for this fic has been amazing, and I am completely humbled by the love I've got. Thank you all so much! I hope you continue to enjoy it.**

**My beta is awesome, and she's tireless. Thank you for your work my dear ;)  
**

-0-

Miranda groaned as she lay in the darkness. She wasn't sure where she was or what she was doing, but it felt like she'd had too much scotch. She must have neglected to turn on the central heating last night as well, because it was freezing and she was wet.

Why was she wet?

She opened her eyes, screwing them right back up again when the light oppressed her senses. She blinked as she looked up at the sky, a frown forming as her brain tried to catch up with her surroundings.

"Oh my God!"

She suddenly realised where she was, and why she was there. The plane. Andréa. Her children.

"Girls!" she called. "Cassidy, Caroline, please answer me, oh God please!"

She'd never understood hysterics. She was Miranda Priestly and quite above such common things but as she looked around, her heart thumping in her chest and in her head, she felt sobs creeping up her throat, like they were choking her. She could see so many things, all of which she couldn't help but ignore in her desperation to find her children.

"Mommy?"

"CAROLINE!" she squealed in a very un-Miranda-like fashion as she scrambled over various pieces of debris to where a little red head was poking through a section of broken plane. "Are you alright my darling? Are you hurt, tell me, Caroline, where's your sister?"

"I don't know Mommy, what happened, where is everyone?" Caroline said, getting progressively more tearful. "Mommy where's Cassy? Cassy? Cassy!"

"It's alright sweetheart, it will be alright, let's get you out of this chair and then we'll look for Cassidy, okay?"

"I'm scared Mommy," Caroline whispered, as she gripped Miranda's arms tightly.

"I know baby, but can you undo your seatbelt for me?" she asked, unable to reach down and undo it herself.

"I think so," Caroline said a little shakily, letting go of Miranda's hands. "I got it."

"Good, hold onto me baby."

Miranda had never subscribed to reality TV shows. She knew about them, as any good editor should do, but she'd never stooped so low as to actually watch one, and as such had never seen any of those feats of superhuman strength people supposedly were able to do in a crisis. But as she lay on the body of the jet she was not so long ago a passenger in, lifting her baby out of the plane and onto the roof, she apologised in her head for every scathing comment she'd ever made about those people. She hadn't lifted either of her children into her arms since they were four years old. She had left them with a nanny, or with their father while he had still be around, and they certainly weren't four anymore.

"I've got you," Miranda whispered, as she held her oldest child to her chest, kissing her hair endlessly and rocking back and forth.

"I love you Mommy," Caroline whispered back, gripping her just as tightly.

"Oh darling, I love you. So much." Miranda wanted to say sorry for all the times she should have been there, but she didn't because she heard some movement below them.

"Hello?"

"Is that Uncle Nigel?" Caroline asked, peering down into the plane.

"I believe it is, come this way and we'll have a look. Come on darling, that's it." Miranda crawled one-handed back the way she came, making sure to keep one arm around Caroline as they made their way off the roof of the jet and onto the wing of the plane.

"Nigel?"

"Miranda? Oh thank God, are you alright?"

She smiled, choking back a sob as Caroline squeezed her hand happily.

"I'm fine Nigel, is there anyone there with you?"

There was some noise coming from inside now and Miranda tried to get closer to peek through the window.

"I have Emily, Serena and Doug with me. Roy and his wife were further towards the front of the plane. Miranda, God, have you got the girls?"

"I," she paused and took a deep breath, "I have Caroline," she said, sounding a little shaky. "You called out just as I freed her from her seat."

"Alright, I think Doug has found the emergency exit, so we'll see you on the other side. I'll have a look around before we leave, make sure no one gets left behind."

"Alright darling," Miranda nodded. "I'll see you in a moment."

Her whole body was shaking, but she got them both from the body of the plane and onto the ground. Turning around, she picked Caroline up, taking solace in the long arms and legs wrapping around her body even though her muscles groaned at the unfamiliar weight.

"I can walk Mom," Caroline said, even as she held on tightly and pressed her face into Miranda's neck.

"I know darling, just let me," she said quietly, picking her way through the wreckage to the other side of the plane.

"Miranda!"

Emily had been someone that Miranda frequently trod on in her professional life, but the relief on the young woman's face when she saw her was enough for Miranda to draw her into a hug.

"I'm glad you're alright," Miranda muttered, still gripping Caroline to her side. "Is Serena okay?"

"I'm fine Miranda," she called, throwing out a few bags before hopping down to their side.

Fine was clearly a comparative word because Serena's face was covered in blood, something she Miranda hadn't even thought to check for on herself.

"You're all bloody," Caroline said, slipping down Miranda and pulling off her little jacket. "You can use this if you like," she offered with a shaky smile, holding it out to the lanky woman.

"Thank you Caroline, but I'll be alright. You keep that," she said, wiping some of the blood off with her bare arm. "I think we need to regroup a little out of the way of this wreckage. Em, help me with the bags." She grabbed what she could, and lugged it to a small clearing amongst the debris. Miranda was saddened that the jagged cut on the woman's head would probably scar, but there was nothing they could do about it now. "Doug and Nigel are searching what they can of the plane; the middle of the cabin is pressed up against another part of the chassis."

"Okay," Miranda said, almost calling Caroline's name when she realised she wasn't by her side. She looked around panicking until she saw her carrying a bag with Emily.

"I'll give them a hand," Serena said winking audaciously at Miranda as she stalked away.

She stood feeling useless until Douglas poked his head out, looking terrible, but alive.

"Douglas, your face!" she said, rushing forward to help him down.

"Oh don't worry about me, I think I must have hit the seat arm when we went down, but it's okay. Nigel and I have searched but Andy isn't in this part of the plane. He's just gathering the rest of the bags that he can find. Maybe," he paused, poking his head back into the plane and calling something out to Nigel she couldn't hear, "you and I Miranda, we should go and search the front of the plane, Nigel will take care of this."

"I, I'll have Emily take care of Caroline for a moment," she said, moving over to where Caroline was sitting with the two women. "Darling, I'm just going to look for Cassidy, I want you to stay here with Emily and Serena. Uncle Nigel is just getting the other bags."

Caroline looked like she wanted to argue for a moment but nodded quietly. Emily nodded as well, wrapping a cautious arm around Caroline's shoulders.

Calling all her courage to her, Miranda took a moment and followed Doug around the other wing to the front of the plane.

"I found Caroline still in her seat here," she said, pointing out the place and trying to look in the windows.

"Well, here's a good place to start then," he said, looking around. "We'll have to climb up the wing."

Miranda nodded and followed him, cursing the very existence of her high heels as they caught in the soft turf.

"Damn," she said, getting them stuck again. She definitely didn't want to go barefoot. Lord knew what was on the ground around them, but she couldn't walk in them any longer. "Douglas wait," she said, wishing all her staff were as attentive as he was when he returned to her side instantly.

"What is it Miranda, are you hurt?" he asked, taking her hand.

"No, no I just need -" She gripped his shoulder and stood on one foot, taking off the four inch heel. "Would you be so kind?" she requested, holding out the shoe.

He frowned but took it from her without question. She let him hold the actual shoe while she kept hold of the heel, snapping it off with a quick movement of her wrist.

"Miranda, you, what, why -"

She wanted to grin at his horrified expression as she put the shoe back on and held out the other one. She just couldn't do anything about how uncomfortable they were until she found her bags. Although taking a quick stocktake of what she packed, it wouldn't help her - she didn't have any flats.

"This will have to do," she said curtly. "I can't go gallivanting around the wreckage of a plane in four inch pumps."

"No, of course not. Come on, I'll help you up," he offered, getting onto the wing and helping her up. "You found Caroline over here?" he asked, looking over at the hole in the top of the plane.

"Yes, she was still in her seat."

Doug nodded, lying down on the top of the fuselage and pulling himself forward over the edge so he was dangling into the plane.

"Douglas, my God, what are you doing?"

"I can see a way through," he called, sounding farther away than he was. "If you pull me up then I can drop inside, make sure we can get through and then help you down."

Miranda wanted to protest, to insist that she would go down with him, but intelligently she knew that rescuing one person would be easier than two if they got stuck.

"Fine," she acquiesced.

She helped him back up, only for him to swing around and lower himself down into the dark plane. She wished she had her phone but it was in her bag, somewhere in the chaos all around her.

"Miranda I've found a way through, come on down," he said, poking his head back under the hole and into her field of vision so she could see him smiling. "I'll catch you."

She rolled her eyes out of habit, but was secretly pleased he was helping her. Some people were good in a crisis, but the thought of going into the dark wreckage of a plane to search for Cassidy and Andréa was testing her mettle.

Douglas did indeed catch her, easing her landing and helping her find her feet.

"I wish we had a torch, but there's a bit of light if we open the blinds as we search," he said, pulling her towards a tiny opening that she was sure they wouldn't fit through. "It's alright, you'll fit, I promise."

She covered her eyes and took a deep breath, pulling her legendary self-control back to her and nodding.

"Let's go."

They searched the plane, inefficiently Miranda would have said if she had been in charge, but Douglas insisted that they search it together. A small voice in her head told her it was so she didn't have to find her dead child first, but she was valiantly trying to ignore that thought as she leaned over to pull open the blind on another window.

"Miranda, I've got Roy!"

"Roy?" she said, rushing over to him and seeing him holding his wife. She waited as Douglas pressed two fingers to the soft skin of his neck.

"He's alive. Roy, hey Roy!"

"What, who, where -" the big man spluttered as he sat up suddenly, nearly connecting with Douglas' chin on the way.

"Roy, it's Miranda, are you hurt?"

She wasn't sure how much he could see, especially considering she could only see his outline.

"Miranda? Are you alright? Where are the girls?"

Miranda smiled, glad the semi-darkness hid her moment of familiarity.

"Caroline is outside with Emily, Serena and Nigel. Claire is beside you and although passed unconscious she looks unhurt, while Douglas is here searching for Andréa and Cassidy."

"I'll help," he said, lifting his wife into his arms and starting forward before dropping suddenly, and almost throwing Claire at Douglas.

"Oh Jesus, Roy!" Claire said, turning back and holding her head after the sudden movement. Miranda heard Douglas explaining to her what had happened as she rushed towards Roy, who was sitting on the ground holding his leg.

"Shit that hurts," he said, rolling up his pant leg and grimacing.

"Oh my!" Miranda gasped, there was a rather deep and angry looking gash down Roy's calf and while it wasn't bleeding heavily, it did look more than she was happy to deal with.

"We have to get you out of here. That needs looking at."

"It's alright, I'll just -"

"You'll go out there and you'll get one of them to look at it," Miranda commanded, pulling him from the floor. "Claire, you help him, there must be an emergency door here somewhere. The door we came in through was just in front of your seats."

"Alright, I'll check."

"Cassidy? Andréa?" Miranda continued searching, needing to find them both before the nauseousness she was experiencing overcame her. "Cassidy?"

"Mom?"

Miranda's heart soared as she heard her baby's voice.

"Cassidy, where are you?"

"We're here, Mommy. I think Andy's hurt."

All the elation Miranda was feeling evaporated as she rushed towards where Cassidy's voice was coming from. She could see them now, and as Doug managed to kick out the door, flooding the cabin with a dim light, she could see what Cassidy meant as well. Andréa was lying on top of Cassidy, underneath a big piece of fuselage, which seemed to have sliced open Andréa's arm and knocked her out. She rushed over to them, leaving Nigel to help Roy and Claire from the plane.

"It's alright sweetheart, I'm coming," she said, trying to shift the wreckage from her youngest child and the woman she was closer to than she wanted to admit.

"Douglas, I need your help."

Between them they managed to lift it from the trapped pair and Doug rolled Andy off Cassidy just in time for Miranda to swoop down and scoop her child up.

"Oh I love you Cassidy!" she whispered, smothering her with kisses.

"I love you too, Mommy," she replied, pressing her face against Miranda's cheek, as Caroline had done. "Is Andy okay?"

Miranda faltered as she saw Nigel join Doug in the plane, trying to rouse Andréa.

"I don't know baby, let's go and see your sister while we wait shall we?"

"No Mommy, I want to see Andy," she said, wriggling from Miranda's grip and falling to Andy's side. "Andy? Andy please wake up. ANDY!"

Miranda felt the tears gathering in her eyes as she watched her baby shake Andréa's unresponsive body and she struggled to breathe. Andréa looked dead, she'd clearly lost too much blood, the head wound was perhaps too severe and now she would never get to -

"I'm here Cass."

"Andy!" The name was chorused by the four of them, but as Andy's eyes opened Miranda was the one whose eyes she met, even as she hugged Douglas, Nigel and Cassidy.

"I'm a bit light-headed guys, can we get off this plane now?"

Miranda sobbed and moved forward, not for the first time thankful for her reputation as Nigel pulled Douglas back. She fell to her knees and pulled Cassidy into her body, leaning over Andréa and pulling her in as well.

"Hey, hey," she said calmly, as if nothing was wrong, "we're alright, it's okay." Andréa gently wrapped her good arm around Miranda. "Is Caroline alright?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes, yes," Miranda sniffed, feeling suddenly ashamed of her behaviour. "She's fine, everyone's fine. Well, Serena has a nasty cut to her head, Roy has a gash on his leg and your arm looks rather nasty, but I think everyone else is fine."

Andréa nodded gingerly and beckoned Douglas over to help her up.

"Thanks Dougie, let's get out of here."

They slowly made their way out, blinking as they stepped into the sunlight. Miranda stuck close to Andréa while still holding Cassidy near to her side.

"CARO!"

She was off like a shot when she saw her twin and the two girls embraced tightly, both crying and laughing at the same time, without saying any words. Miranda watched them, so incredibly happy that everyone, but especially they, were okay. They caught her watching and returned to hug her in stereo, as they had always done, Caroline on the right and Cassidy on the left.

"I love you both so much," she whispered, closing her eyes against the chaos all around her. "I would do anything for you, you know that don't you?"

"Yeah Mom, we know," Caroline said in her ear, kissing her cheek and giggling as Cassidy did the same.

"You are both so precious to me."

She looked up to see Andréa being patched up by Emily, who seemed to be rather efficient at bandaging people if Serena's head wound was anything to go by. Her former assistant's eyes met her own and she felt her heart speed up as she looked into the deep brown pools full of compassion and something she didn't want to name.

"We're okay, but the pilots, the whole nose of the plane, well, they didn't make it," Nigel said quietly, resting his hand on her shoulder for a moment. She nodded, reaching up and taking it, perhaps startling him, but she didn't care. They were okay. The next stage was to work out what they had, where they were and where they were going, but as Douglas lay down with a groan, she figured that could wait. They all sat in silence, each contemplating how close to death they had been and how thankful they all were to live to tell the tale.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: ** Good morning! I meant to post this yesterday, but time got away from me. I hope you're all enjoying it. Thank you again, to all those that left me wonderful reviews. It's pretty awesome for sure!

Thanks to my beta – she's awesome.

This, by the by, is the last pre-beta-ed chapter I have, so expect a gap until the next one. Having said that, I know my beta (who, as I said, is AWESOME) has already started on chapter 5. 

-0-

Andy let her head drop back against the jacket she was using as a pillow. A team meeting had been called not long ago and they were gathered together in the little area they'd claimed as their own.

"Right, well, I suppose I'll start," Nigel said, sitting to Andy's right. She didn't turn to look at him, but she was listening nonetheless. "I think, as Miranda mentioned earlier, we need to know where we are, if we really are all okay, and what we have to work with."

"I agree. I think though we need to do another search of the plane for anything that we can use before we do anything else," Doug said, leaning over and brushing Andy's hair from her face. "Just like in Lost, huh?"

"I agree with Dougie, but I'm not quite up to helping just yet," she said, feeling sick with even the smallest movements.

"We can split into teams. Roy and Andy obviously can't move just yet, but if they stay here, maybe, Miranda if you think it's best, the girls can stay and keep an eye on them while we split up and search the plane?"

Andy didn't need to look at Miranda to know what she was thinking. One part thankful and another cornered. She would want her girls with her, but she wouldn't want them to enter that wreckage again.

"I think that's a good idea," Andy said quietly. "I need someone to keep an eye on me and the girls would be perfect."

"Alright, as long as you think so Andréa," she agreed softly, appearing by Andy's side.

"Yeah, they'll be fine," Andy replied, smiling even though her eyes were closed. "I'm pretty sure Roy is only sitting down because earlier I heard Claire threaten him quite violently if he got up."

The girls giggled as the big man protested, but Andy smiled as a hand squeezed her shoulder gently. Miranda appeared alright with the plan so far, so Andy nodded for Doug to continue speaking

"Okay, so Claire, how about you come with me, Nigel can go with Miranda, and Em and Serena can stick together."

There was a general murmuring of assent and the search parties were sorted.

"We'll head to the front of the plane and see if we can't find some maps or something. Hopefully not everything was on a computer," Nigel mumbled. "Doug, you and Claire head to where she and Roy were sitting and see if you can find the other bags. Em, Serena, start in the back of the plane, there was a kitchenette there before we, well -"

"We got it Nigel," Serena replied. "Are you two alright?"

Andy cracked an eyelid open to see Serena looking down at her and she smiled drowsily.

"I'm fine, think I'm concussed but I should be alright in a few hours. I've had worse headaches from Lacrosse."

Serena patted her shoulder lightly and got up, pulling Emily with her. Andy watched them go, before squinting up to see Miranda looking down on her, her hands on her hips, looking like she meant business.

"Girls, I want you to watch Andréa and Roy. If either of them looks like they're in pain, I want you to call for one of us. Knowing them as I do, I doubt they will tell you, so you watch them closely."

"Yes Mommy."

"Yes Mom."

Andy smiled at the responses and how similar they sounded to the tried and true 'yes Miranda'.

"Good. Roy, Andréa my girls have their eyes on you."

"Yes Miranda," Andy said, smirking as Roy followed suite.

"Good, we'll be back soon."

"Hey Miranda?" Andy yelled, not sure how far she'd gone before she'd had a thought. "See if you can find some water, I think my headache would go quicker if I could keep hydrated."

"I will. I'll be back shortly."

Andy didn't hear her go, but she gingerly moved her good arm over her eyes to block the sunlight, which was out in force, getting brighter as the day wore on.

"Are you alright Andy?" one of the twins asked. At first Andy thought it must have been Cassidy, but as she peered up, she found it was Caroline staring back at her.

"Hey, yeah I'm fine, just have a headache is all. Are _you_ alright Caroline?"

"Do you think Dad got away?"

Andy breathed a sigh and patted the ground next to her. Caroline hesitated for one moment before lying down on the piece of wreckage Andy was using as a bed and snuggled into her side.

"Your Dad lives in Manhattan, yeah?" she asked, stroking the girl's hair. "But he works in L.A.?"

"He only lives in Manhattan when he has us," Caroline explained.

"Well, I know, at least before all this happened, that the East Coast was in the most danger. The West Coast would have far longer to evacuate than we did. And your Dad could go down to that place he took you guys on holiday last year."

"Yeah I suppose," she said quietly, her arm creeping around Andy's torso. They were silent for a while before she whispered again, "thanks for saving us Andy."

Andy smiled and moved, despite the pain, to press a kiss on the young girl's head.

"You're welcome, munchkin."

They could hear Cassidy and Roy talking quietly, no doubt Cassidy was asking Roy about everything that could happen while they were out here in the middle of who knew where. In contrast, Caroline lay in silence and it wasn't until Andy had to move her arm that she realised she was asleep. Her headache was wearing off, although she knew she wasn't out of the woods just yet. A concussion could be a serious injury if it wasn't treated properly, but as it was easing, she assumed it would eventually be alright.

"Hey Andy, you okay?"

"Shh," Andy said, shushing Doug before he could wake Caroline. "I'm fine," she whispered back. "Did you find the bags?"

"Yep, yours is right here. Most of them were still in the luggage bins, but some of them tumbled open when they hit the deck. We'll take a stocktake once everyone gets back."

"Good, I'm so thirsty. Can you see if there's a bottle of water in my pack please? Everyone can have some, I just, I really need a drink."

"It's okay Andy, you go ahead, we found more in the galley. Just don't have too much though," Claire said, appearing on her other side and gently lifting her head and letting her drink.

"Oh that's better," Andy said, swallowing the water desperately. "The girls should have some too," she said, waving off the bottle. "Really I'm okay, just, maybe I'll have some more afterwards."

The water was dished out to the girls, even Caroline, who woke up reluctantly for a sip before snuggling back into Andy's side.

"Thanks Claire."

"You're welcome Andy," the quiet woman said kindly. "If you need to go to sleep my watch still works, so I'll make sure to wake you every hour."

"Thanks," Andy said gratefully with a yawn, closing her eyes and letting the rest of the world disappear. Her head was pounding, but she felt more like her old self. Perhaps after a sleep, it would all be better.

-0-

It was twilight when she woke up and she blinked as she tested the strength of her headache verses how uncomfortable she was lying on a piece of broken wing.

"Hey, what's happening?" she asked, sitting up very carefully.

"Andréa, what are you doing? You should be sleeping!" Miranda exclaimed, appearing at her side.

"I'm fine, I got plenty of rest even though I had to wake up every hour." She nodded thankfully to Claire, who was changing Roy's bandage. He was sitting up and talking to her, possibly giving her pointers, so she turned back to Miranda and the others and didn't interrupt them. "I'm feeling much better now. What's the plan?"

"We're not sure what the plan is yet. A few of our phones are working so we've turned on the GPS to check where we are," Nigel said, leaning over a pile of papers.

Andy smiled at Miranda, who was still hovering over her as she stood up shakily.

"Let's have a look," Andy said, hoping Roy would come and help once he was fixed up.

"Our phones say we're here," Nigel said, pointing to a dot on the map. Andy bent over and squinted as she tried to work out where 'here' was. The phone's light shone down on the map, and Andy saw Nigel indicating a little green area in the middle of nowhere.

"Well, we'll have a bit of a hike out of here then," Andy grimaced. "I know it's warm out, but I think maybe we should bunk down in the plane and check on it tomorrow. Roy might feel better then and there's nothing we can do tonight."

"I agree," Roy said as he hobbled over to their side. "Did anyone find any flashlights?"

Nigel produced two of the needed devices and Roy nodded, pocketing one and switching the other on.

"The best thing to do is switch off those phones and conserve the batteries for now," Roy instructed, smiling as Caroline huffed. "Then we need to get everything inside the plane, just in case it rains. And tomorrow we'll get up and start planning what we're going to do. Andy's right, the light's gone, it's dark and we can't do anything more tonight."

With an immediate plan formalised, everyone who was able got up and started carrying their bags into the plane. None of them, not even Miranda, wanted to stray too far from the group and distributing the blankets the group had found earlier one by one, they lay down to rest. As Claire and Nigel helped Roy into the fuselage, he mentioned leaving a guard to watch over the group in case of intruders, or wild animals.

"I'll go first," Andy said, "I got enough sleep earlier that I can afford to lose some now."

"We can do it, we slept on the plane," the twins piped up, causing a cacophony of resistance from the entire party.

"Darlings, we appreciate it, but the adults will do it for now," Miranda said, smoothing Cassidy's fringe from her face. "You two need some sleep as well. Go and lay down, I'll be there in a moment."

The rest of the group moved closer, talking quietly as they discussed who was going to take their turn and when.

"Emily and I will take second shift," Serena said. "It makes more sense for us to take over together, that way we can keep each other awake."

"I believe that I should do the pre-dawn shift, I often wake early," Miranda offered, surprising everyone except Andy, who knew deep down that Miranda would be as involved as she could be, if only for the safety of her children.

"I'll join you Miranda," Roy said, pushing Claire towards their bags. "Now everyone else should try and get some shut eye. Andy - wake Serena and Emily in two hours."

Andy nodded, thankful that she was still wearing her watch. She made herself comfortable, watching the makeshift door they'd cobbled together from plane parts as the rest of their bedraggled group settled down to sleep. She could already hear Doug snoring, and while she would usually smack him with a pillow, tonight she let him, taking solace in the somewhat familiar noise. She could hear Emily and Serena whispering, glancing over at them as they fell silent, smiling as she saw them cuddled up together under a blanket, their arms wrapped around one another. She glanced around the rest of the group, smiling as she saw Claire snuggle into Roy's embrace and Nigel and Doug sleeping back to back.

There was no doubt that the day had been difficult for everyone, as they all seemed to drift off almost as soon as they laid their heads down. She could tell that one of their party had not fallen asleep though, one whose gaze burned her skin even as she sat. She wished she could think of something to say, anything that would perhaps ease whatever was troubling Miranda, but she could think of nothing. It was a warm night, but Andy pulled the blanket around her shoulders tighter, wincing at the pain in her arm as she did.

She stood, checking how solid their makeshift door was, before making her way between the bodies of her sleeping friends, to where Miranda was laying, her two daughters curled up against her front.

"How are you doing?" she whispered, sitting against the wall of the plane, keeping one eye on the door and one ear on the surrounding area.

"I thought, after reading your articles, that your intelligence had improved somewhat," Miranda sniped, her voice perhaps a little more frightening when it was a whisper. "How do you think I am doing, Andréa?"

Andy sighed; it was inevitable that Miranda would finally need to vent at someone - just as she had done on the plane before the crash. Of all the people she had ever met, Andy had never met one that had as much trouble dealing with her emotions as Miranda. She shrugged with her uninjured shoulder and remained silent, letting Miranda work through her feelings as best she could without fear of judgement.

"I, I apologise Andréa, I -"

Andy leant forward and took Miranda's hand, thankful for the dark night covering her blush as she remembered their last moments together before the plane went down.

"I accept your apology Miranda. I know you, I know how you cope with things you don't like. I can't say I enjoy being insulted but I _do_ understand," she whispered, rubbing her thumb over Miranda's knuckles. "I know something else as well," she continued, letting Miranda take in what she had said, as well as work through her own thoughts and feelings. "I know we're going to be alright."

"How can you possibly know that?" Miranda hissed, sounding almost lost in the quiet of the aeroplane.

"Because every one of us has something to fight for. Everyone," she said quietly, leaning a little to her left so she could see Miranda's beautiful eyes in the moonlight. "And because of that we will keep each other safe; we're all tied together you see, and none of us, no matter how big and tough you think you are, will let anyone get hurt, if only to spare the hurt from someone else," Andy said, hoping she was being clear. "I will not let anything happen to you, or your girls, Miranda. Whatever it takes I will do it and we'll get to my grandparent's cabin."

She felt rather than heard Miranda sigh. Shifting to ease the pins and needles developing, she leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Miranda's hand as she settled in for a boring watch.

"Sweet dreams Miranda. I'll watch over you for a while."

She waited until Miranda's hand went slack in her own, happy that she could be there for Miranda when she needed to be. Serena was right in saying that a shift with two people keeping watch would be better than one, but Andy knew how hard everyone had worked through the day while she had been resting. She could tell that Roy felt the same, and though she'd have to keep an eye on her wound to make sure it didn't get infected, her headache was virtually non-existent now, so tomorrow she would help as much as she could.

She pulled out her trusty notepad and pen, and made her way back to where she'd started her watch post - leaning back against the comfortable private jet seat while she made a list of things to consider tomorrow. They would need to find food and water first. The plane's refrigerators were a no go, and besides what snacks everyone had in their bags, there was not a lot to go around. The water situation was slightly better, having found a few bottles in the cabin during their search. They would need to take stock of what people had that would be useful in their bags, and work out what had to be left behind so that they could hike out of here.

She hadn't had too much time to study the map, and although she had some experience using them, she was no expert, and thought she should leave that to Roy. If Miranda was right and he really was ex-Marine then he should be a great help in getting them all out of the forest and to the nearest civilization. There, hopefully, they'd have something to bargain for a ride over the border. She thought that would be the best place to regroup and work out whether they would go onto Europe, or whether they'd stay.

Andy smiled as she thought of her grandparent's guesthouse. It served as a lodge during the ski season, but her parents had insisted that whoever Andy brought with her would be welcome once they made their way there. There would just be enough room for them all, especially as her grandparents had a small house not far away where they could stay if all the rooms were full. Their holidays there as a child were some of the best memories that Andy had. Her grandparents were getting on now, but her parents had married young and had Andy ten months later. She knew without a doubt that once they got to the Lodge, Andy wouldn't want to leave. She would though, if Miranda wanted to.

It was strange sitting there in the dark, with only the moon illuminating her notepad. After so long running from base to base in some of the most god-forsaken places in the world she'd come to accept her own company. The first year had been the hardest, and her work had suffered for it, but once she'd stopped missing the people who didn't miss her back she settled into her assignment, becoming one of the more well-known war correspondents.

She glanced down at her watch, starting when she saw that nearly an hour had passed while she was deep in thought. She wandered around their group, checking everyone was alright, tucking Nigel's blanket higher and smoothing the frown on his forehead. She knew very little about Nigel even though she considered him a close friend. By avoiding Miranda, she'd had to leave New York, and that meant everyone else. They had exchanged emails whenever they could, and even met up a few times when she was stateside, but ultimately they had simply been polite friendly updates on each other's lives. She made a mental note to get to know him a bit more.

Doug she knew was on his own. His father had split long ago, and she and Lily had held his hand through his mother's funeral. They'd been best friends since their first day at Northwestern together, meeting purely by accident when he ran into her on the quad . He'd bought her a vanilla iced latte and chatted her ear off until they had nearly missed their classes. Lily had been in her class, but Doug had begged her number and they'd gotten together not long after for dinner, laughing and carrying on, both of them picking up boys.

Her feelings for Miranda had confused her once. Especially remembering the fun she'd had with Doug. She had never been attracted to women, not even remotely, until she'd seen Miranda pause mid-sentence in her office as she looked her up and down one time. Andy had been wearing the Chanel boots Nigel had lent her and the look Miranda had given her made her insides burn. She felt sexy, powerful even, to make Miranda stop talking to whomever she was and look at her, really look at her. After that, there was no real hope for Nate. Where once he'd enchanted her, made her laugh, he now annoyed her, made her feel less than beautiful in his company. He wasn't wrong when he said she could have done her job with some credibility, but she was already in too deep. She'd come to care for Miranda, and she wanted nothing but to matter to _the Devil in Prada_.

And then Paris happened.

It was the best and worst decision she'd ever made. She'd needed to leave, that much was clear, but the way she'd done it was childish and completely unprofessional. Her ego was smarting from Miranda's comments about what she'd done to Emily and her heart was broken from Miranda's direction to just 'do her job' the night before. Coupled with the tremendous catastrophe that was Christian Thompson, Andy couldn't do anything but leave in a tantrum. It had taken her ten minutes to realise what she'd done, so she calmly and collectively returned to her hotel, written a letter of apology to Miranda, forwarded everything she had to Serena and Nigel and left on the next flight out. It had taken some doing to reason with her friends, but she'd refused to apologise. Doug took it best, having understood at least a little of why she had acted the way she had. Lily took longer, and while her romantic relationship with Nate was beyond repair, they'd managed to part as friends.

She sighed, dropping her head gently back against the seat. It was nearly time to wake Serena and Emily. She took one more walk around the plane, checking the windows and their makeshift door, nodding to herself when she found it sound and secure.

"Serena? Em?" she whispered, shaking them gently. "Emily?"

"Was' wrong?" Emily said, rolling into Serena and snuggling under the taller woman's chin.

It was cute for sure, but Andy needed to get some sleep.

"Em, Miranda needs you."

"WHAT!" she sat up so quickly that Andy fell back, luckily landing against a pile of bags as Emily looked around for her former boss.

"Andy, bloody hell are you insane?" she hissed, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, you weren't waking up, and it's your turn for watch duty."

Emily glanced around, flagging a little as she looked back.

"Not a dream then?" she asked, looking down at her girlfriend.

"No, not a dream," Andy replied, squeezing her shoulder.

"Alright, I'll wake her," Emily said, waiting until Andy had moved away to lean over Serena and whisper something in her ear.

Andy grinned as she prepared to get some sleep, taking up residence against the wall where she had sat not two hours earlier.

"Andréa?"

Andy looked over to find Miranda's tired eyes looking back at her.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Emily woke me," she said quietly, not turning to look at the woman in question. "Why are you not sleeping, I assume your watch is over?"

"Yeah, I was just going to sleep here. I didn't want to intrude, but I wanted to be near, you know?" She grimaced at her abysmal explanation and bit her tongue to stop herself from babbling. She'd gotten over doing that last year, at least that's what she told herself.

"Lie down Andréa, you'll be useless tomorrow if you don't get some proper REM sleep."

Andy grinned, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, Miranda."

"As it should be," Miranda said. Andy could hear the smirk in her voice and settled down on the other side of the twins, pressed up against the wall with a foot of space between the twins and her.

"Andréa, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I just didn't want to crowd you?" she asked, rather than said. There was a part of her that didn't like what Miranda did to her self control. It was like her mouth ran away with her whenever the woman spoke to her or even looked at her.

"Andréa, come here," Miranda whispered, and now that Andy was laying down, she could see Miranda's hand outstretched in her direction, poking out from underneath one of the twin's heads.

"Do you want me to move her?" Andy offered, shuffling closer. "Your arm will go dead."

She saw Miranda smile gently and brush a strand of hair from the twin's head, nodding reluctantly and flexing her hand, which was now rather close to Andy's cheek. Leaning nearer and using her good arm for most of the heavy lifting, Andy shuffled her own arm underneath the young girl's head, allowing Miranda to remove her own. Andy couldn't help but giggle when the very twin she was trying to lower back to the floor, rolled over and cuddled into her middle, mumbling in her sleep.

"Cassidy did always like you," Miranda said, stroking what could only be Caroline's hair, as _she_ was curled around Miranda's middle.

"I think we have similar temperaments," Andy whispered, mirroring Miranda's movements over Cassidy's head. "Did you sleep for a while?"

"For a time, yes," Miranda said, almost reluctantly. "I -"

Andy smiled, reaching over cautiously to hold Miranda's free hand in her own.

"It's okay."

"No Andréa, it's not okay, nothing is okay anymore. What the hell do I know about anything out here, of our situation? You know who I am, you know what I am capable of. How am I supposed to care for my daughters, for my friends, for my -" She stopped, making Andy wonder what she was going to say. "I cannot do this, I'm not strong enough," she said in a voice that was so shaky, Andy shifted closer, squashing the twins between them slightly.

"Miranda," she paused watching the woman blink rapidly in an effort to clear her eyes of the tears gathering there. Spying an escapee, Andy leaned forward and wiped it gently from her skin with her thumb. "You're right, I do know you. I know that you are the _strongest_ woman I know, doing what you do in an industry so caught up in image. You get dressed every morning and become a woman who has to go to her office and command her ship with the tightest iron grip because a room full of men think you can't do it. You have to put yourself, the part of you that is a mother to these beautiful girls, away in a box somewhere, so that you can do the thing that you love to do. You have dealt with designers and models and," she chortled, "hapless assistants wearing polyblend jumpers."

Miranda chuckled morosely, and sniffed delicately, but didn't say anything.

"I know you Miranda. I know when you need coffee and I know when you don't. I know when you wish you were at home, and how hard it is for you to balance work and family. I know how much you love your daughters and how much you didn't love Steven. I know when you find a design that you know will work and I know that you don't actually like carrots, despite you eating them because you want to set an example for the girls. I know how you take your tea, and yes you drink tea, and I know when you laugh, your eyes light up like they have millions of tiny lights in them. I also know that right now, you're scared," Andy said quietly, looking straight into Miranda's eyes. "I am too, we all are. The truth is, nobody knows what they're made of until they have to test themselves. Tomorrow, we're going to take a look at that map, we're going to take a stocktake and then, we're going to get on out of here, find us some transport and make our way to my grandparent's cabin."

Miranda took a deep breath and nodded, not taking her eyes off Andy's.

"And I'm going to make sure you remember how strong you are, and I'm going to make sure that you, and your girls get there in one piece. _That _I promise you."

"Andréa, I -"

"Mommy?"

They broke eye contact and looked down at Caroline who had stirred, no doubt from their talking, and had rolled over to see her twin cuddled into Andy.

"Are you staying Andy?"

"Yeah Caro, I'm staying."

"'kay," she mumbled, curling back into her mother's embrace.

Andy watched until the little girl's breathing evened out, and lifted her gaze to find Miranda watching her with avid interest.

"What?" she asked, looking down at herself to make sure she didn't have anything on her.

"I," Miranda paused, "thank you," she said quietly, resting her head on the bag she was using as a pillow. "Don't pull that face Andréa, I've thanked you before."

"Yes, but -"

"Go to sleep Andréa."

Andy nodded, resting her own head on her bag which she'd pulled over, while still looking at Miranda.

"We'll be alright. I know we will."

"I believe you," Miranda whispered, finally closing her eyes.

It wasn't until Andy eventually settled further under her blanket that she realised Miranda had kept hold of her hand throughout the whole exchange, and it didn't look as though she was going to let go now. Smiling as she fell asleep, Andy dreamt of taking Miranda home, one twin under each arm as they walked down her grandparents driveway, to safety at last.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You'll notice that, in this chapter, there is mention of a place that is true to our present. This was written a little bit before I decided to do away with place names and the such, but I liked the little exchange, so decided to keep it in, as is, but turn it into something that happened in their past. Feel free to forget it happened afterwards - I won't make mention of it again.**

**Love to my beta :D**

-0-

Miranda blinked tiredly as she came back to consciousness. Cracking open her eyelids, she took in her surroundings, overcome with a disappointment that felt worse that a hundred botched run-throughs.

"It's your turn for watch duties Miranda," Nigel said quietly, startling her from her thoughts. Evidently it had been him that woke her.

"Of course," she whispered, looking down at Caroline, who was firmly attached around her middle. "I'll be right there."

He nodded and moved away, leaving her watching her beautiful girls still sleeping. Moving carefully, she managed to get her hand from under Caroline's head, but then wasn't sure how to make the girl let go of her without waking her. She decided in the end that if Caroline woke then she woke, so she simply ran her fingers through her eldest's hair, and separated the arms from around her torso. Caroline stirred briefly, rolling over and attaching herself to Cassidy's back, negating any worries Miranda had.

"Good morning," Roy said, nodding and pretending to tip his hat. She smiled at the gesture, greeting him back and settling down in the chair next to him. "Did you sleep well Miranda?"

"About as well as you would expect," Miranda sighed, knowing she was being a bitch and tried again. "I, I slept deeply when I did."

"Exhaustion does funny things to a body."

She hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything else lamenting their situation as she sighed and let her head hit the back of the seat. So much for a Starbucks on every corner.

"It will be difficult, I won't lie to you," Roy said suddenly, not turning to look at her, rather, fixing his gaze on his wife. "I didn't know what the game plan was, but when I was training we had tests on this sort of thing. Scenarios that we had to study and examine. Obviously, it was never something we thought would really happen, but we were made to study it anyway. If what Andy said is true, and they really did abandon the East Coast, then they would have evacuated as many of the people from the west as they could. I don't know where they'd go, but it would have happened. Which means that there will be no help," he sighed, rubbing his face and turning to look at her. "We're on our own Miranda."

"I," she swallowed hard, "I was not completely oblivious, but I thank you for your candidness."

"It's not like I want you to be scared Miranda. Truth is, we might be far closer to the border than we were and have no trouble getting there, but," she glanced at her twins, "it could very well be the hardest thing any of us have ever done."

Miranda bristled a little, despite knowing he was trying to be helpful. She tried to calm her growing anger, but she couldn't control her outburst.

"Yes, well, as you don't know anything about me, I realise that's your opinion, but let me tell you something, I have suffered through more than you could imagine. I -"

"It's not coffee, but it might help."

MIranda stopped, mid rant, as she was presented with a protein bar of questionable description. She glared at it, wishing it would catch on fire. When it didn't, she switched her glare to the woman holding it. Andréa was the only one that could get away with doing what she had, but she was in no mood for platitudes.

"Well, it's a shame that you aren't quite as accomplished as I once believed you to be, otherwise you'd have fetched me a coffee," Miranda snarked, tearing herself apart inside. Why could she not just have a normal conversation with someone.

"Oh ouch," Andréa said, holding a hand over her heart like she'd felt the blow physically. "You're hungry, and you get cranky when you're hungry. It's okay you know -"

"If you cannot speak words that make sense, then don't speak."

"-to be scared, fearful, of questionable courage."

Miranda flushed and started to speak, horrified to hear her voice squeaking and protesting.

"Case in point," Andréa muttered, quickly settling on the arm of Miranda's seat and holding out the protein bar again. "Go on, I dare you."

Miranda glared as darkly as she could at the young woman. She couldn't help but get sidetracked at Andréa's proximity. She was wearing long cargo pants, functional, and sitting low on her hips, just a sliver of skin visible between the waistband and the shirt she was shook herself, trying to get her heartbeat under control, realising belatedly that Andréa would have noticed her staring.

"It's not that bad and it's perfectly healthy. If you eat half now and save the rest, it'll help with that mood, I promise."

"You are being awfully familiar Andréa," Miranda said, sniffing in disdain. The girl was infuriating, able to get under her skin without even trying.

"That's because I know you," she whispered, leaning closer. Miranda leant back against the chair almost without thinking, glancing at the people still sleeping on the floor. "They're asleep Miranda, and I'd like to talk to you about what happened on the plane."

"Nothing happened!" she snapped, realising too late that it sounded more like a knee jerk reaction than a relaxed explanation.

"Oh, it did," Andréa whispered, leaning down so she could whisper in her ear.

Miranda's heart rate skyrocketed once more and she could smell Andrea's scent all around her. She couldn't help but close her eyes and take a deep breath, feeling that familiar smell she had missed so much sooth her deeply and it scared her.

"But I can wait for you," Andy said leaning back and bringing Miranda out of her trace. "I've waited this long."

"Andrea -"

Miranda cursed herself for the wobble in her voice but as she opened her mouth to say more they were interrupted.

"Mom?"

Miranda tore her eyes away from Andrea's, smiling at her oldest daughter and patting her lap for Caroline to join her.

"Good morning Bobbsey," Miranda murmured, kissing Caroline's hair and smiling as she spent a moment holding her baby.

"Are you and Andy fighting?" she asked, sounding much younger than she was - something Caroline didn't often do.

"No," Andréa answered before Miranda could even open her mouth. "I was just telling your Mom that she should eat something." Miranda watched as the young woman captivated her child with her easy manner and beautiful smile. "She demanded I got coffee, but by the time I bring it back I don't think it would be centre-of-the-sun-hot, do you?"

The cheek of the girl.

If Miranda hadn't heard the beautiful laugh of her daughter she would have lashed out something fierce. Something that would have made Andréa think twice about teasing her like that, but Caroline hadn't laughed in so long. Not since Stephen left, not properly. And here was Andréa, charming her with so little effort.

She glanced up at Andréa as Caroline, who was still giggling, leant back against Miranda's chest. The editor closed her eyes, relishing the closeness for a moment before she glanced up at Andréa. She was looking straight at her, and remembering a moment in time that seemed so long ago, she smiled, just barely and mouthed a thank you.

The effect was instantaneous. A smile that made Miranda's head spin.

She knew that she could no longer hide it from herself. She had missed Andréa, so much more than she would have cared to admit, but it seemed like Andréa was determined to call her on it. The thought terrified her, but soothed her also. That this girl - woman - would wait for her, as she had already been doing. Losing herself in her thoughts, she wondered what it would have been like had Andréa stayed with her in Paris. Would they have come through the turbulent times, or would their relationship have been changed forever once Andréa realised what a Class A bitch she was.

Roy came back through the doorway, startling her. She hadn't even realised he'd gone. He nodded to her, and she noticed he was carrying two bottles of water.

"Is that drinkable?" she asked, refusing to look at Andréa as she stood running a brush through her hair.

"We'll have to boil it," Roy said with a grimace. "We all might have a bit of, um, trouble after we drink it, but if we boil it well, we should be alright."

The thought turned Miranda's stomach, and she made a pact with herself to only drink when she absolutely had to. There would be nothing worse for her to become ill in the middle of nowhere with no medication.

"I have a few sterilisation tablets in my pack, but not that many. I guess we can use them until they run out."

Roy looked suitably impressed with Andréa's suggestion and nodded.

"I picked them up while I was in Kandahar. The water there wasn't great. The supply trucks had the worst time trying to get through so we had to drink the water in the city."

"I heard it was crap," Roy said conversationally, wincing when Miranda cleared her throat and looked pointedly at her daughter.

"Sorry."

"Andy?" Caroline asked, still content on Miranda's knee. It had to be a record.

"Yes Caro?"

"Where's Kandahar? Is that somewhere near Iraq?"

Miranda watched as Andréa smiled, and crouched down in front of them, her hands feeling very warm on Miranda's knees.

"Did you hear it on the news?" Andréa asked, smiling gently.

"I think so."

"Kandahar is a place in Afghanistan. I had to go there to do some reporting."

"Afghanistan is where that war was, right?"

"That's right," Andréa said almost proudly. "Lots of good men and women were there fighting for the freedom of people they've never met."

"Oh, isn't that dangerous?" she asked, echoing the very thought Miranda had had when she'd discovered Andrea's articles of that very place.

"It was, but I had a great group of Marines watching my back the whole time."

"Like Roy?"

Miranda's driver chuckled and winked at her, making Caroline giggle.

"Just like him."

"'kay."

And just like that it was over. Andréa got up to help Roy, and Caroline sat content in her arms for even longer. So long in fact that her arms were beginning to ache. Not that she was going to say anything. It had been so long since Caroline had done this that nothing on this earth could have made her move.

"Mom?"

"Yes Bobbsey."

"You like Andy right?"

"I think Andréa is a very capable woman," Miranda said quietly, refusing to acknowledge the part of her heart that was screaming 'YES'.

"No, but like, she's a friend."

"I, I suppose you could say that. Why?"

"Do you think she'd mind if she was my friend too?"

Miranda's eyes filled with tears as she leant down and kissed her child once more, wishing they were not in the position they were.

"I think she'd love that, sweetheart."

"Cool."

Miranda chuckled as Caroline finally turned her head around to look at her and kissed her sloppily, like she had done as a small child, before wriggling off her knee and going to stand with Andréa and began discussing something she couldn't hear with Roy.

"I've seen that look before," Nigel said as he sat up and put on his glasses. "Who have you fired?"

Miranda chuckled but didn't reply, noticing that almost everyone was now awake. She walked over to where Cassidy had made a little cocoon with the blankets they had pilfered from the cupboards on board.

"Cassidy? Bobbsey, it's time to wake up."

"I don't want to Mommy," she moaned, rolling over still half asleep. "I don't want to go to school today."

"We're not going to school my darling, we're here on the plane, remember?"

Cassidy was awake in an instant, blushing deeply as she looked around.

"Oh, yeah I forgot."

"It's alright darling," Miranda said, smoothing her hair back and kissing her forehead. "Can you get up for me?"

"Yeah."

After everyone had woken up sufficiently, they congregated outside the plane in the little clearing they'd made the day before. Serena's cut had started to bruise, and Emily spent a number of minutes stroking the darkening skin around it, but Douglas' had fully blossomed into the most unusual mixture of black, purple and green that Miranda found grimly fascinating.

"Not the colours to go for this fall then?" Douglas said with a grin as he sat next to her.

"Not quite your colour," she replied dryly, making him laugh.

"Thanks for the tip."

Roy walked up, kissing Claire and sitting on a log that they'd dragged out from the trees.

"Alright, there's a few things we need to discuss before anything else happens. One: we need to find out exactly where we are, and how far away from civilisation that is. Two: we need to gather as much food and clean drinking water as we can find. Three: we need to go through our packs and leave anything we don't need behind. We're going to have to walk for a while, no matter what we decide to do next, so carrying useless items around isn't going to help us. Finally, I want you all to know something, and I'm sorry, but I'm going to say it how it is. None of us is more important than anyone else. If we want to make it through this, then we shall have to work together. That means sharing the load, carrying each other's things, helping people out."

Miranda watched in avid interest as her driver took charge and laid down the law. She wasn't too obnoxious to know that he was mainly talking about her, and she nodded as the rest of the group did when he looked at her. She had never been in this situation before and she trusted Roy with her life, but more importantly with the lives of her children and that was enough for her.

"I suggest, and it's merely a formality, that Roy is put in charge of our venture," she found herself saying. "Clearly he has the most experience in this sort of situation and I for one would feel better with him leading."

"Only Miranda Priestly can make getting stranded in the middle of a forest after our plane is shot down from the sky sound like a business transaction," Andréa said cheekily, earning a grade three glare.

"Andréa," she said, her tone creeping a little higher as she feigned humour.

"Yes Miranda?" she replied, matching Miranda's tone almost perfectly.

"Shut up."

She didn't have to glance at their group to know that most of them would be laughing at her, but she couldn't help it. The girl was infuriating and it was trying her patience.

"Mom!" Caroline said, going to Andrea's side and draping herself over the young woman's shoulder. "Don't pick on Andy like that. And you said saying shut up was rude, and for people who are less intelligent than we are."

Miranda raised her eyes to the sky and took a deep breath. Trust Caroline to have remembered a conversation she'd had with them when they were six.

"Quite right Caroline," she nodded, refusing to apologise for the comment.

Andréa was still smirking at her, looking as if she had won a prize at a shabby state fair.

"Anyway. As I was saying," Roy interceded. "First things first, we need to find out where we are. Which one of us has the least amount of battery left on their cells?"

Miranda didn't even know where her phone was. Last she'd checked it had been in her lap as the plane went down, so it could be anywhere now.

"Mines pretty much dead," Doug said, handing it over to Roy.

"Good, everyone else needs to turn their's off right now. Before you do tough, check how much you have left on your battery and remember that number. We use them in order of charge. Hopefully we can string it out as long as possible."

Miranda saw Cassidy make a face at Roys suggestion, so she cleared her throat, waiting until Cassidy met her eye and looked pointedly at her until she sighed, digging her phone out of her pocket and turning it off.

"Thank you Cassidy," she said, looking pointedly at Caroline, who was far too busy draping herself over Andréa to notice.

"She's good with them, isn't she?" Claire said quietly as she sat down next to Miranda.

Miranda merely hummed in agreement, a comment about Caroline not leaning on Andréa like that dying on her lips as she saw how happy her baby was.

"Hey, how come you get to sit with Andy?" Cassidy suddenly cried. "That's not fair. Andy always liked me better, didn't you Andy?"

Miranda opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by Douglas' hand on her arm.

"Let her deal with it, just watch."

"I like you both equally," Andy said, smiling reassuringly at both girls before patting her crossed legs for Cassidy to squeeze onto. "See, plenty of room for the both of you."

"Right," Roy said, interrupting all of their conversations as he stood up from the map he was studying. "There's a little farm west of here. I'm thinking we should head for there, but it will most likely take us two days. Obviously the sooner we leave the crash site, the sooner we can get some food and re-stock. I'd like you all to go through your bags and pile any food, snacks or whatever out here together and then I want you to leave anything you don't need. Ladies, I'm talking makeup, hair doodads or anything else that will not be key to our survival."

Miranda rolled her eyes, thinking for the first time what a good thing it was that Andréa talked her into packing one bag only.

She waited for the girls to run and fetch their bags before getting up to retreive hers, stopping at Andrea's side.

"Thank you," she said softly, looking at the ground next to Andréa's feet. "For the bags I mean. The thought of having to lug my Vuitton around in this environment would have been -" Miranda paused, berating herself quietly for saying so much. She was Miranda priestly for God's sake, she didn't have to explain.

"You're welcome Miranda. I wish you didn't need them, but I'm glad I could help."

Miranda nodded once and went to retrieve her own bag, already worrying about how much she was going to have to leave behind.

-0-

In just a few minutes there was a reasonable pile of food stacked up on one side of the clearing, and another, larger pile of things that they would not need for their journey.

Miranda was amazed at how much miscellany they all travelled with. She'd relinquished ownership of her hairdryer, two make up cases and a handbag that she knew would have cost her thousands of dollars had she bought it herself. The look on Emily's face when she had finally let go of it was priceless, no doubt identical to the one on her own, and she mourned the walls of other handbags she had left behind as well. Sighing once more, she reached into her bag and pulled out two pairs of shoes, both of which she knew were as useless as the ones on her feet now.

Her favourite pair of Pradas, and her one-of-a-kind Louboutins both went in the pile and she had to concentrate very hard not to shed a tear. It may seem stupid to some people, like Andréa, but she cared about fashion, something she knew Andréa could never understand.

"Hey."

She refused to look around at her former assistant. She needed to get herself under control.

"Nobody said this would be easy," Andréa said quietly.

Miranda felt a soft touch on her elbow and took a shaky breath.

"I know it may not seem like it now, but it will be alright."

"Oh my God, you can't be serious!"

Miranda felt Andréa turn, before she did as well, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"What?" Nigel said, looking a little pink around the ears.

"That's not -"

"Is it?"

"Where the hell did you get that?" Miranda exclaimed, suddenly realising what her daughter was holding.

"Miranda, I took the pictures. Of course I have copies."

"No way! Mom you're gorgeous."

"Wow, you had red hair too! How come you never told us that?"

Miranda turned around, looking up to the heavens for guidance as she fought for control.

She knew what it was without even getting a proper look at it. When she had been first starting out at Runway, a mere assistant back in the day, Nigel had been her closest friend and they'd stuck together as they rose through the ranks of the American branch of Runway. It had been a joke, nothing more than a night of too much red wine, a set that wasn't being used and a dress that Miranda had fallen in love with the moment she'd seen it. They'd spent the night playing dress up, taking photos and generally just having a laugh, resulting in his 'Book of Secrets'. She'd assumed he'd burnt it years ago; some of the photos could have fetched top dollar back when the divorce was going through, or when her first husband had been caught, quite literally, with his pants down. She'd never realised how much of a good friend he was until this moment, and she was ashamed.

"I'll take that," she said, turning around and holding out her hand.

"No," Nigel said quietly, taking it out of Cassidy's hands. "It's not yours to have Miranda. It's mine, and I'm not giving it up, even if I have to carry the extra weight. One day though, I'd like to go through it with you."

She glared at him for a moment, refusing to leave his gaze until eventually she nodded, just barely, and stormed from the clearing and into the plane.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself as she paced the aisle.

Of course it wasn't hers to demand; it was Nigel's but the fact that he wanted to keep it made her uneasy. God knows what else he had in there. She felt a cold sweat break out over her when she thought of another such time they were playing around. And she was wearing nothing but a John Paul Gaultier number which had shown far more skin than she ever wanted anyone else to see.

"Miranda?"

She spun around, almost bumping into Andréa as she stepped up behind her.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say that you are a beautiful woman. You always have been," she whispered softly, almost too quietly for Miranda to hear. "Roy is happy with us keeping one item of non-essential value but your daughters are having trouble giving up their laptops."

Miranda sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew exactly how her daughters were feeling. Thankfully, she had a practically indestructible hard drive full of all their family photos, both professional and candid, and she knew that the majority of the things on the twin's laptops were personal.

"Alright," she said quietly, following Andréa out of the plane.

The girls were sitting squashed together, holding their laptops to their chests as though they were life jackets.

"Bobbseys?" she began, crouching down in front of them. "I know that it's difficult to understand, difficult to let go of things that once meant so much to us, but you cannot take these with you. I have a flash drive in my backpack that you can back your files onto, but the laptops must stay here."

Cassidy cracked first, as Miranda knew she would, suddenly sobbing and thrusting the computer into Roy's hands. Miranda nearly fell backwards as her youngest threw herself into her arms, and certainly would have if it wasn't for Andrea's legs swiftly appearing behind her. Caroline was glaring daggers at everyone, until she too stood up, marched over to Roy and thrust the computer into his hands before disappearing into the shell of the plane. Unlike Cassidy, Caroline preferred to not have an audience when she cried. Something she had picked up from her mother.

"You can both keep your DSi's," Andréa said, kneeling down beside Miranda and Cassidy. "But the laptops are so heavy, it's better if we just copy the stuff and carry it all on a little flash drive."

"'Stuff' Andréa? Have I taught you nothing?" Miranda sighed, feeling weary.

Cassidy stopped crying and turned her head to watch Andréa.

"I do understand Andy," she whispered, still hiccuping. "I just wish we could go home."

Miranda tightened her arms around her child, knowing that feeling intimately, as she was sure they all did, but Andréa wasn't phased.

"I know kiddo, we all do, but it will be alright. Roy knows what he's doing."

"Okay."

Caroline re-emerged a little later, still looking like a small thundercloud, but participating nonetheless.

"Now we re-pack. Try and fold your clothing as small as possible, and we'll divide the food up equally so we can all share the load." Roy smiled at Miranda's daughters. "You guys can carry the snacks okay?"

Miranda did as she was told, wondering how long her white business shirt would last in these conditions. She wasn't the only one who had packed unsuitable clothing for a trip of this nature. She saw Nigel trying to fold up his favourite pair of checkered wool suit pants without creasing them. It was going to be an interesting two days, of that Miranda was certain. She knew they would learn a lot about themselves and each other that they perhaps would never have discovered otherwise, and that frightened her most of all.

"I figured we'd eat what we could of the fresh food we found on the plane, considering that it will have gone off by tomorrow," Roy said, bringing their attention back to the middle. "There's a stream a little that way" he said, waving in it's direction, "I figure if we split off and scout the other areas, see if there's anything else useful, and then have an early dinner and an early night, then tomorrow, we're up at dawn and we're marching."

Miranda rolled her eyes but didn't comment. For once in her life, she found it comforting not to have to make the decisions herself. She was far out of her comfort zone and although it was disconcerting and frightening, at least she wasn't alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi all. Sorry it took a little while for this chapter to be finished. Life is quite annoying in that respect. Here is the next installment of my story - which it seems like is very popular, and I can only thank you for that. It's been awesome how many favourites etc I'm getting, so keep it up haha**

**Thanks to my beta for fixing this up.**

-0-

Andy groaned as someone shook her shoulder. She had finally got a day off and someone was waking her up before she was ready.

"Dougie if that's you I'm going to kill you and burn your signed copy of Return of the Jedi."

"Star Wars, Andréa?"

Andy sat up, narrowly missing colliding with Miranda's chin, blinking as she looked around.

"Oh," she sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Crap."

Miranda didn't say anything, causing Andy to look up at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, kneeling so she could study Miranda's face properly.

"Nothing is wrong," Miranda said, looking away.

"Miranda, this is me we're talking about. What is it?"

Andy watched as the woman struggled for a moment. As Miranda opened her mouth, Doug wandered over to them giving Andy a morning hug, effectively ending any revelations that Miranda was about to share. The former editor nodded to Doug and got up, moving away to sort out her children.

"Good job Dougie. She was about to tell me what was wrong."

"Oh shit, sorry Andy-baby," he said with a pout, making her laugh. "You ready to go? Roy said it's already late if we want to make some headway today."

"Yeah, give me two minutes."

Andy checked her pack, ticking things off in her head, and adding her portion of the food, which was more than most of the others, but less than Roy and Doug. They both had broad shoulders and had agreed to carry more so that Caroline and Cassidy wouldn't have to. The girls had protested for a while, before realising that their bags would still be heavier than they'd ever had to carry before. She glanced over at the little family, watching as Miranda helped them put on an extra shirt each, to ease the chafing straps on their small shoulders, and tie their shoes with double knots. She could hear them protesting half-heartedly, but Andy could see they were secretly enjoying all the attention from their mother.

Finally happy with how her bag was packed, Andy dragged it outside to where Claire and Serena were chatting about something while Emily was standing by, watching them like a hawk.

"You do realise that Serena loves you, don't you?" she said casually coming to stand by Emily's side. "I mean, like out of this world, head over heels adoration?"

"Shut up you cow," Emily said, minus the venom she'd used when they worked together. "I know that, I'm just looking at her."

Andy chuckled.

"Alright. You ready to go? I see you've come prepared," she said glancing down at the Doc Martens on her feet.

"Yes, well they're not exactly fashionable, but they were the last birthday present my mother bought for me, so they're staying."

"That's lovely Em," Andy said genuinely, smiling at her as she grabbed a slightly stale bread roll from the box of food on the table.

They'd found as much food as possible on the plane, but it still wasn't enough and they all knew it. As such, they'd taken to eating some of the longer lasting fresh items like bread rolls, slightly melted jelly cups and all of the fruit. Andy grabbed two apples and a banana and took them back to Miranda and her girls. They wouldn't really fill the gaps in their stomachs, but they'd help.

"Hey," she said quietly as she entered the still cool fuselage. Miranda was sitting with Caroline curled up on one side of her, and Cassidy on the other. Andy crouched down, offering the meagre breakfast to them. "I have protein bars for later, and if you're really lucky, and your mom's not looking I might even share my Lifesavers with you."

"Are they the cherry ones?" Cassidy asked, perking up from her mother's embrace.

"No way! Why have just cherry when you can have five flavours?" Andy grinned, tweaking her nose. "You guys best come and get ready. I think Roy is ready to go."

"Yes Andy -"

"Okay Andy," the two girls said in stereo.

Andy smiled as Miranda looked up at her, with only her trademark eyebrow showing any interest in their conversation.

"Are you going to sit there all day?" Andy asked gently, offering her hand.

Miranda glanced at Andy's outstretched hand, but ignored it and got off the floor on her own. Andy shook her head and followed Miranda from the plane for the last time. Taking one last look around to make sure everyone had everything, she pushed the door against the exit and brushed her hands off on her cargos.

"Alright everyone. Let's get going," Roy instructed, helping Claire with her bag. "We're not going fast, but we will be going steady. Keep an eye on each other, and stay within our line of sight."

He nodded and pointed in the direction they were going, moving out of the clearing with Claire and leaving the rest to follow.

"Guess this is it then," Nigel said, polishing his glasses.

"Let's get on with it," Emily said, turning to pick up her pack, but immediately letting it fall back to the ground with a grunt.

"I'll help babe," Serena said gently, picking it up effortlessly and helping her girlfriend.

For just a moment it was awkward to watch. Everyone could see that Emily was as thin as ever, and was definitely going to have to eat something if she wanted to keep up.

"Shall we?" Nigel said to Doug, following Emily and Serena from the clearing.

"Mom, can we go?"

"I'd prefer you to stay with me, but if you must go, go with Uncle Nigel please."

"Love you!" Cassidy called as they rushed after Nigel, leaving Miranda and Andy in the clearing alone.

"What about you Miranda, are you ready?" Andy asked, picking up Miranda's pack and helping her with it, brushing her fingers against her perfect neck as she straightened the collar of her shirt.

"I am always ready Andréa, something you should know by now," she said patronisingly, stalking off after the group and leaving Andy alone.

"Guess she is then," Andy said to herself, setting off and putting a little jump in her walk until she was happy with the placement of her pack. Roy had discussed the pace with her. He'd take point, and she'd bring up the rear. They would be alright for the first hour or so, but then they'd slow considerably once the adrenaline had worn off, and the packs suddenly became heavy. Andy was dreading it.

-0-

It went as Roy predicted; they were fine until the sun rose higher in the sky, but then the breeze dropped, leaving them in sweltering heat when they ventured out of the trees. Andy did her best to keep her pace steady, not wishing to rush her friends in front of her. The gaps between them had closed; once talking animatedly between themselves, now the group was deathly silent as they struggled to walk with such heavy packs.

Emily in particular was starting to worry Andy. She was doggedly determined, Andy could tell, but the colour of her face was cycling between grey and green, and Andy knew she wouldn't last much longer.

"Alright, we'll stop for half an hour. Grab a bite to eat but not too much, and have a mouthful or two of water. No more, even though I know it's hot. We don't have all that much."

Andy knew he wasn't kidding as she dropped her bag on the ground, flopping down on the cool shaded grass at the edge of a large field. She was accustomed to hiking like this, having done it extensively on assignment over the last few years, but she could tell most of the others were flagging. Starting where she knew she'd be the most useful, she crawled over to the girls who looked exhausted.

"How are you doing ladies?" Andy asked, gently picking a twig out of Caroline's hair as Miranda cuddled Cassidy.

"I feel sick," Caroline said despondently.

"I know it's tough sweetie, but we can do it," Andy assured both girls. "Do you still have those bars I gave to you for breakfast, because now's the time to eat them. And make sure you do - you need to keep your strength up," she said, smiling as she winked at Cassidy. "And make sure your Mom eats hers too. I know she kept it."

She moved away, chuckling as the girls perked up a little, intent on making Miranda eat as well.

"Yo," Doug croaked as she neared. "What are you having for lunch? I'm thinking bagels. Toasted just a little so they're warm, with turkey and cream cheese."

"Mmm," Andy hummed, patting his stomach. "Save some for me."

"How you doing Em?" she asked, as she sat next to her former colleague, nodding to Serena.

"How the bloody hell do you think I'm doing?" Emily snapped, still breathing heavily.

"Have you eaten?"

"I'm not bloody eating, I'll hurl," Emily confessed.

"Em, you have to, we've got -"

"Just bloody leave it alright?" Emily said, closing her eyes and hiding her head in her arms.

"Alright," Andy said quietly, forming a plan in her head. "Just rest then."

Andy rejoined the girls, smiling as Cassidy left her mother's arms for her lap, albeit looking a little guilty as she looked back at Miranda. Contrary to what she was expecting to see, Miranda was watching on with the barest hint of a smile. Caroline was curled up, with her head in Miranda's lap and apparently asleep, even as Cassidy snuggled against Andy's chest.

"You're going to have to talk to Emily," Andy said, smoothing Cassidy's hair. "She'll listen to you."

"You can't be serious!" Miranda gasped, looking over at the Brit. "She won't listen to anyone. She's been doing that stupid diet since she first arrived at Runway, God knows how many years ago. Nobody is going to break her out of it."

"Miranda -"

"No, don't Miranda me," she snapped, wincing as Caroline grumbled and before carrying on without so much venom. "It is her own fault. She has to realise it on her own."

"MIranda, if she collapses are you going to carry her?" Andy asked gently, knowing that no matter what Miranda said, she liked Emily - why else would she have kept her around for so long. "Just talk to her, please."

They didn't speak again, but they shared a bottle of water, making sure to only take a few sips before sitting quietly once more. The atmosphere of the group was a little tense. Emily was still looking the worse for wear and the girls were fast asleep, despite the fairly long rest they had the night before. Nigel and Doug were leaning back to back, both of them silent, and Serena was holding Emily tightly, glancing down at her every now and then. Roy and Claire were the only ones who looked moderately prepared for the next leg of the journey. Andy figured they must have done a few hikes together, especially with Roy's background.

"Sorry guys, but we need to get going," Roy apologised, getting up and pulling Nigel and Doug to their feet, clapping each of them on the shoulder and going to help Serena and Emily.

Andy shook Cassidy gently, smiling as she yawned and stretched her body over Andy's legs, allowing the young journalist to tickle her gently.

"You ready to go munchkin?" she asked, passing her a bottle and waiting for her to take a few mouthfuls.

"Yeah I guess," she sighed, getting up.

Andy helped her and her sister with their bags, hoisting her own onto her shoulders with a wince and waiting for Miranda before leaving their cool rest point. Andy felt the sweat start to run down her neck just as soon as they started walking in the sun. It was the height of summer and they were forced to march through open fields to get somewhere they might not want to be in the end. Andy shook the negative thoughts from her head, and turned around to see Doug taking Emily's pack and strapping it to his front.

"Miranda?" she called, stopping the editor in her tracks as she turned around, shielding her face with her hand as she looked back. "You see what I mean?"

Emily was looking pale and worn, and Andy just wanted to go over and force her to eat something. The stupid dieting and the starving herself regime was ridiculous at the best of times, but stuck out here was something else.

She looked pointedly at her former boss until the woman rolled her eyes behind her Chanel sunglasses, patting her children on their shoulders and marching back to the small group which was trying to keep Emily moving.

"Serena, Nigel, thank you, but I'll take it from here," Miranda snapped, glaring until they moved away, leaving Emily leaning against the older woman tiredly.

"Sorry Miranda," she said quietly, barely loud enough for Andy to catch as she walked only a few paces in front of them.

"Emily, I'm going to say this once only," Miranda instructed. "I have never asked you to do this, I've never wanted you to, but you are dangerously thin, and we are not in a position to get you the help you would need should you eventually collapse from hunger. I did not hire a stupid assistant, therefore, I would like you to stop being stupid."

Andy grinned, winking at Caroline as she slipped her hand into Andy's.

"Will she be alright?" Caroline whispered, looking behind them.

"Emily would do anything for your Mom," Andy grinned. "I think they'll be fine."

Caroline seemed content with the answer and they walked on in silence. It wasn't until Andy found herself walking with Doug at the back of the group again that she happened to look up at the back of Miranda.

It wasn't that she was perving. Not much anyway, but she noticed she was walking very strangely. Andy frowned, ignoring whatever Doug was telling her, until she realised what she was seeing. Miranda was in pain. She could tell from the hunch of her shoulders and her very careful steps. It was then that she got her first good look at Miranda's shoes.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Andy growled, leaving Doug and pushing forward to grab Miranda's elbow.

"Come with me," she said firmly, dragging Miranda away from the group and forcing her onto a nearby log. "Roy, I need to call a halt. Won't be long."

"I think we should push on. You two can catch up," Roy barked, looking harried.

"I need to stop too," Emily admitted, looking a little better for the protein bar she'd been given and made to eat earlier, yet it still took Claire's hand on his arm before he agreed and sat down.

"I can't believe you are so stupid," Andy muttered, kneeling in front of Miranda and dragging her bag closer.

"Unhand me at once!" Miranda exclaimed as Andy grabbed her calf.

"No," Andy replied, glaring up at Miranda. "I can't believe you didn't say anything."

She pulled the shoes off Miranda's feet, wincing as she saw the red and blistered toes.

"I don't know why I'm explaining myself to you, but I have no other shoes. It was the best I could do at the time. I snapped the heels off them on the first day."

Andy just shook her head. This was as serious as the situation with Emily. An infected blister could lay Miranda up for days and she knew she had to do something, else they'd all be stuck here for longer than they would like.

"Roy, can I look at that map?" Andy asked, getting up and leaving Miranda barefoot on the log.

Andy bent over the same map, looking for one specific thing, and grinning like a mad woman when she found it.

"I'm just taking her down to that stream there," she said, pointing it out on the map. Roy nodded, rubbing his knee while trying to make it look as if he wasn't. Andy was a fairly good judge of character and she knew it was bothering him more than he'd admit. She'd been lucky; her arm injury was only an issue when she pulled her bag on, and then took it off again. Otherwise, it was covered and clean.

She knew Roy wasn't going to argue with her, so she walked over to Miranda and dug into her own pack for her spare shoes and a pair of thick socks. They were by no means the most fashionable pair of shoes in the world. In fact, they were some of the ugliest shoes she'd ever owned, but Andy's grandpa had bought them for her the last time she'd visited him. They were study, rugged, outdoorsy sandals, built like a shoe, but with enough airflow to help keep Miranda's feet from getting too painful when she put them on.

"I'm not wearing them," Miranda said, sounding as if she was being held at gunpoint.

"You are, or I'm carrying you," Andy said, looking pointedly at the woman. "And don't think I'm joking."

"Absolutely not," Miranda said, sticking her nose up in the air. "That's all."

Andy grinned, feeling every set of eyes on her back as she swooped in and hefted Miranda into her arms, the shoes dangling from her fingers.

"PUT ME DOWN!"

Andy nearly dropped her when she squealed in her ear, but kept a decent enough grip on her and set off in search of the stream she knew was not that far from where they'd stopped. It was less than fifty meters before she heard the gurgling of water and she strode purposefully towards the sound.

"I will end you," Miranda growled in her ear, unwittingly having the very opposite effect on Andy than she was probably going for. Clearing her throat, Andy took a deep breath, revelling in the sweet scent of Miranda so close to her.

"You can do what you like," Andy said whimsically. "You're going to do this, because if you don't, you're going to be carried all the way to my grandparent's place."

Miranda went quiet, glaring directly at Andy's face as they finally reached the stream.

"Right, sit here," Andy said, letting Miranda gently down onto a rock. "Swing around and put your feet in the water," she instructed, albeit knowing that Miranda would put up a fight.

"No," Miranda snarled, crossing her arms and turning her back on Andy.

"Miranda, think very carefully. I just lugged your ass all the way over here in my arms. I'm not beyond dumping that same ass into the stream wholesale."

Miranda went very still, as if suddenly realising she'd actually turned her back on the one woman in the world that wasn't afraid of her.

"I," she huffed, inching her feet towards the running water and pulling them back when her toes skimmed the surface. "It's cold."

"That's the idea," Andy said, kneeling by her side and pulling up the bottoms of her designer pants. "It'll help, I promise."

Mirada actually sighed in relief once she'd lowered her feet into the water.

"How is it you can see me Andréa?" she whispered after a while.

"I don't know," Andy replied honestly. "I just do."

"That is not an answer," Miranda accused, pulling a foot out and allowing Andy to take it and dry it gently on her shirt.

"Best I can do, sorry," Andy said, shrugging as she thought about the question she was avoiding answering. She rolled a sock on gently, making sure that she didn't rub any of the blisters too hard on the thick wool. It wasn't until the second foot that Andy realised that Miranda was still watching her, apparently waiting for a more comprehensive answer. "I guess," she shrugged again, "after I had that makeover from Nigel, both physically and mentally, I started studying you, trying to make sure I could do what you needed before you even knew you needed it. I knew when you needed coffee, and when you'd been on the phone to the girls in the car, or Stephen," she added with a grimace. "I just learned to read you. Not that it was easy, you're a pretty closed person."

Miranda didn't say anything, just continued to stare at Andy even as she slipped on the sandal things and tied them solidly.

"Good job we're the same size," she quipped, hoping to stop Miranda from staring.

It didn't work and she was forced to meet her famous gaze. It wasn't harsh, like she expected. There was a softness to it, just around the edges, like it was tangible. They stayed in that position before they heard their names being called.

"That's our cue," Andy said, happy to get up and escape the charged atmosphere. "Let's go."

-0-

"We'll need to set up camp before it gets dark," Roy said, looking around for somewhere to sleep for the night. "I suggest we stay away from the forest. I'm not sure whether there are bears in this particular stretch and they have to sleep as well of course, so we'll camp out in that field we just came from," he said, pointing back the way they'd come.

There were a few groans, but everyone marched back nevertheless, eager to lie down knowing that nobody was going to make them get up for quite a while. Andy helped Miranda and the girls, conscious that everyone else was expecting her to. Doug and Nigel had become awfully chummy she noticed, and she grinned as they laughed together.

"They're getting on well," Miranda muttered as she shook out her own blanket.

"I grabbed these bin liners," Roy said suddenly, handing them out to everyone. "Put them under your blankets so that they don't get damp overnight."

Andy was suitably impressed with the suggestion, but noticed that his limp was getting worse.

"Your leg's bothering you," she said quietly, as he went past her.

"It'll be alright," he grunted, throwing blankets to the next two.

"I want Claire to take a look," Andy said, looking pointedly at him. "We need you."

He rolled his eyes, but nodded.

"Fine. Claire honey, can you come and help Andy? She wants to look at my leg."

"How on earth did you get him to show you?" Claire teased good naturedly as she walked over carrying their meagre first aid kit. "I've been asking him for hours."

"I threatened him," Andy said with a grin, helping the big man sit down and waiting as Claire rolled up his pant leg.

"Jesus Roy!" Andy hissed, looking down at the bloodied bandage.

"Shit," he muttered, looking up at the waning light. "Nigel, we'll need a light."

Roy held the proffered torch to give them some extra light as Claire and Andy carefully unwrapped the bandage.

"Oh crap," Andy said under her breath, screwing up her nose at the sight. "That's not good."

"I think that needs stitches," Claire said looking a little queasy.

"Can you do it?" Andy asked looking at her sideways. Claire didn't answer, but the horrified look on her face said enough.

"Nigel, can you sew?"

"Oh no, no way!" he said, backing away quickly. "Not on your life. Miranda can though," he said, suddenly realising what he'd said.

Miranda had not got up to see the wound, and as she smoothed one of the twin's bed down everyone waited on in silence for Miranda to join them.

"Does anyone have anything to bind the wound with?" she asked, frowning, even with the light. "Andréa, get my glasses."

Andy wouldn't admit it, but as she rummaged as carefully as possible through Miranda's things, she nearly cheered when she finally found the glasses case. No matter what her feelings were, rifling through Miranda's underwear was perhaps just a step too far.

"Andréa."

Snapping to attention, she passed Miranda the glasses and helped Claire prepare the tools.

"I," Miranda paused, looking down at the slowly bleeding wound, before turning and walking away without another word.

Andy looked around to find everyone looking at her, and she rolled her eyes, patting Caroline on the head as she walked past her to retrieve Miranda. She found her standing, still as a statue, and taking very deep breaths, looking up at the clear night sky.

"Hey," Andy began quietly, standing next to her, but not touching.

Miranda didn't answer, and Andy was transported back to the townhouse, when Miranda had chosen to hold onto her finger rather than talk. She glanced down to find Miranda's hands were hanging loosely by her side, so she too stood there, arms relaxed and reached out with her little finger. Miranda latched onto it immediately and Andy was hard pressed not to smile. It was the equivalent of a hug from Miranda Priestly and they both knew it.

"I know you can do it," Andy said quietly, still not looking. "I can help if you like."

"Acceptable," Miranda agreed, squeezing Andy's finger before letting go.

They returned to Roy's side, Miranda walking purposefully and taking the needle and thread from Nigel's hand and dropping it in a shallow cup of vodka that Doug had smuggled out of the plane.

"Have you got another bottle?" Miranda asked, looking purposefully at Doug.

Andy grinned as he squirmed, but nodded eventually and went to get his bag. Andy couldn't help but burst out laughing as she saw just how many bottles of alcohol he's smuggled out.

"What?" he said, looking a little sheepish. "It's not like I asked you all to carry it. I may even share it with you."

Andy slapped the back of his head, watching as Miranda picked out a bottle of Jack Daniels, twisted off the top and threw it back, swallowing once and closing her eyes. Taking her cues from Miranda, Andy gently lifted Roy's leg onto the rock Doug had dragged over for that very purpose and used the least amount of bottled water she could to wipe away the excess blood surrounding the wound.

"Alright everyone, I need you to go. One of you will have to stay to hold the light though," she added, turning to check which one of them was going to volunteer.

"I will," Serena said, letting Emily lead Claire away with Nigel and Doug to go and sit with the girls, who by now were fast asleep.

"Serena, I need you to hold that light steady." MIranda reached out and maneuvered Serena's hand until she had the light exactly where she wanted it. "Do not move from that position."

Andy leant forward, looking at Miranda until she met her eyes.

"You can do this," Andy reassured, however ridiculous she felt in doing so, especially in front of Serena.

Miranda took a second to take a few deep breaths, before steeling her gaze and leaning over Roy's leg.

It took far longer than Andy had thought it would, and by the time it was over Roy had passed out and Miranda's gloved hands were covered in blood.

"I think that is as much as I can do," she said quietly, getting up and taking off the gloves with shaking hands. "I'm just going to -" She shook her head and stalked off into the trees at the edge of the field.

"I think while he's passed out we should clean it," Andy said with a grimace. "Can you pass me those antiseptic wipes?"

They cleaned the newly sewn wound as best they could, much happier with the finished result than before.

"I'll put a dressing on it," Serena said, looking at the treeline. "Go and find her."

Andy nodded, running off into the trees, searching for the woman she knew she loved with all of her heart.

"Miranda?" she called out, controlling her breathing to try and find any sound that would alert her to where the editor was. "Miranda?"

If she hadn't have been looking for it she wouldn't have found it, but through the trees she could see a halo of silver light shining in the moon, and she smiled, walking slowly to Miranda's side.

"There you are," Andy said, chuckling as she continued, "how many times must I scream your name?"

"It's not coming off," she said, her voice completely different from what it usually was, making Andy look twice at what Miranda was doing.

Bent over a small stream, Miranda was scrubbing her hands with a fistful of sand, back and forth over the palms, the backs and even under her fingernails.

"Andréa, it's not coming off!" she gasped, looking up at her with tears in her eyes. "I can't get it off."

Andy glanced back down at those beautiful hands, already knowing there was nothing on them, but she took them gently between her own, lifting them up to her lips and pressing a kiss to them.

"I'll help you," she whispered. "Dip them in the water like this," Andy said, helping her lean forward and let her hands trail through the water. "See, it's all off." Her heart broke as Miranda sobbed, falling against her chest. "Shh, it's alright," Andy said, wrapping her arms tightly around her body. "You did so well."

Andy wasn't sure how long they sat there, but by the time Miranda took a stable breath, Andy's bum was completely numb. She'd rocked and soothed and talked her way through Miranda's natural release of tension.

"I apologise," Miranda said suddenly, pushing off Andy's thighs to sit. "I -"

"Don't apologise, not to me," Andy said quietly, smiling and rubbing Miranda's arm.

Nothing more was said, but Miranda nodded, watching as Andy got off the floor and jumped about a little, trying to get some blood flow back in her legs. Andy grinned as she bowed a little and offered her hand.

"Dr Priestly?"

And then the unthinkable happened.

Miranda laughed. Not like she did for the mayor, or Irv Ravitz and his wife. In fact, Andy was sure she'd never heard Miranda laugh like that before.

"Wow," she muttered, blushing when Miranda paused, looking up at her in amazement. "Um, sorry, I was just, I mean, you're beautiful when you laugh, well, no all the time, but you - uh, I'm shutting up now," Andy rambled, sticking out her hand but fully expecting Miranda to ignore it and get up herself, as she had done the last time she'd offered. She could have been knocked over with a feather when she felt MIranda's hand take hers and use it to pull herself up, ending up toe to toe. She'd known Miranda was shorter, but standing like that, Miranda seemed so small and she couldn't help herself. She wrapped her arms around Miranda like she never wanted to let go, which was the truth. Miranda stiffened for a moment before Andy felt the smaller woman's arms wrap around her.

"Thank you," Miranda whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to run all the way down her spine and to her toes.

"You're always welcome," Andy replied, allowing Miranda to push back and nod in the direction of the camp.

Most of them were asleep by the time they got back, with the exception of Doug, who was standing, or rather sitting guard on a little knoll.

"You guys are excused from watch tonight," he said with a grin. "We've got it covered."

Andy thanked him and bid him goodnight, realising belatedly that she hadn't rolled out her bed.

A hand on her wrist stopped her from cursing and she turned to see Miranda looking sheepish.

"Stay," she murmured.

"I'd love to."

Pulling on her jumper and grabbing her own blankets, she placed one over the twins, who had managed to scoot their beds next to each other and were now cuddled up together and tucked the other under her arm. Miranda kicked off her new shoes, leaving on the socks with a flushed shrug and laid down on the blanket, her head resting on her arm. Andy nodded to Doug, only barely visible in the moonlight, and lay down behind Miranda, scooting forward until she was pressed up against Miranda's back. She arranged the blanket over the one they already had, enjoying the almost instant difference in temperature, despite the warmth of the night.

"This okay?" Andy breathed, as she ran her hand under Miranda's head and wrapped the other around her middle.

There was no answer, but Andy felt a tentative hand take hers and hold on.

"Good night," Andy whispered, just barely pressing a kiss to the small bit of skin visible on Miranda's neck.

"Good night, Andréa."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hi y'all. Here's the next instalment of Life is a Struggle. My beta is super busy at the moment, so read slowly ;-) Hope you all like it. Over on LJ I've got a kind of thing going on with the song choices for each chapter, and I feel bad for you all to miss out on it. **

**So just cos I love you all, the first half of this chapter is sponsored by **_**Wait for You**_** by Atreyu and the second half is sponsored by **_**The Longer the Waiting**_** by Josh Turner. **

-0-

Andy knew she was dreaming when she opened her eyes. She had to be, for there was no way that she could be lying under a blanket looking up at the dawn lit sky with Miranda Priestly's legs intertwined with her own, feeling her warm breath on her neck. She wiggled her toes to check if she was actually dead, but she felt them wiggle, and she gasped. She really was lying there with Miranda, the older woman's face pushed into neck in an effort to stay warm.

The sun was close to rising and the sky was full of the most beautiful colours Andy had seen in a long time. New York was stressful, and reporting on Middle Eastern crises were even more so. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up early to actually watch the sun rise on a new day. She'd been awake plenty early before, but it was always go, go, go. She never made time to stop and appreciate the finer things in life anymore.

She smiled as Miranda cuddled closer. This was the finest thing.

"Six?"

She glanced behind her to see Nigel looking apologetic.

"Sorry darling, everyone's getting up."

"Yeah, alright," she whispered.

She waited until Nigel moved away before looking down at the woman ensconced in her arms. It surprised her to find those brilliant blue eyes looking up at her, and she realised how still Miranda had gone in her arms.

"You alright?" Andy whispered.

Miranda didn't answer, nor would she look at Andy as she lay there. It stood to reason that even Miranda needed someone to hold her occasionally. She'd had to do something that was so far out of her normal day that it didn't surprise her at all. But in the light of day, it was a very different story. Even if Andy hadn't worked for her for almost a year, everyone knew that Miranda was intensely private.

"I'll leave you to it then," Andy frowned.

It wasn't that she didn't expect to be knocked back, but it still hurt. She knew in her heart that Miranda returned her feelings, but whether she would ever relax and let herself be loved was something Andy couldn't fathom.

Leaving Miranda to herself, Andy got her things together ready to move out, joking with the twins and helping them as well.

"Andy, I'm hungry," Cassidy moaned, leaning on Andy as she bent over to pack up her bag.

"I know sweetie, we'll just have to do our best okay? We'll work something out."

Although Cassidy carried on packing, Andy knew that the issue wasn't over. There were very slim pickings when it came to the food that they had scavenged from the plane. Having ten mouths to feed was difficult at the best of times, and Andy wasn't sure Roy could hunt for enough game to feed them all.

Hitching her bag onto her shoulders and wincing as it pulled on her arm, she walked over to Roy, crouching down to his level so the others couldn't hear her.

"How much food have we got left?"

"Not a lot," he grunted, opening his pack to show her the meagre offerings: a few packets of peanuts, some cookies, chocolate and some granola bars.

"Wow, yeah. How's your leg?"

"It'll hold," he said with a smile. "Miranda did a great job." Andy chuckled, patting his shoulder as she stood.

"Tell her, I'm sure she'll get a real kick out of it."

Another twenty minutes saw the entire troop ready to move, though none of them were looking well rested. Roy handed out the rest of the food, looking apologetic the whole time. Andy knew he felt responsible, but it wasn't anymore his fault than the twins. She watched them chewing unhappily on their granola bars, no doubt wishing it was the chocolate that Emily had gotten. Andy dropped back in step with them and handed over her bar, laughing when they high fived each other.

"Eat your granola bars as well please. You both need all your strength, okay?"

"Yes Andy."

"Okay Andy."

The terrain was not particularly tough, but they walked in silence. Everybody watched each other's back; when Nigel tripped, Doug was there to pull him to his feet. Serena had her arm around Emily's back and Claire and Roy walked hand in hand. Miranda, however, walked stoically onward. Andy could tell from her gait that she was still having trouble with her feet, but it seemed that Andy's sandals were helping. She walked as she always did, head held high, her steps equal and sure.

"How you doing, Andy-baby?" Doug asked, catching up with her.

"I'm good Dougie," she replied, smiling, despite the hunger in her stomach. "What about you?"

"I saw you had a hot date last night, wanna share?"

"Ha ha," Andy retorted, screwing up her nose. "And I'm not sure if you noticed how it turned out?" she said, nodding towards where Miranda was walking doggedly on.

"Yeah I did catch the ice storm further ahead."

"Doug, don't say that," Andy said quietly. "She's not like that, she's just, she's scared."

"Andy, we're all scared, but if I was on the receiving end of your love, like she is, I wouldn't be walking ahead like I was still queen of the world. I'd be wrapped up in your arms and giving as much love as I could back to you."

"Well, you'll always have my love Dougie," she laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I'm just not your type."

"Ain't that the truth," Doug said, looking sideways.

Andy followed his gaze, finding herself looking at Nigel.

"Whoa Dougie!" she said, already thinking in her head how good the two men would be together. "He's a good man; I think you'd make each other very happy."

"It's funny, when we got on that plane and then when it was going down, I thought I was going to die," he whispered, letting her wrap her arm in his. "He felt the same and since then, well, we just get on. We like the same things."

"Well, I for one am very pleased."

They walked on, straight through lunch and well into the afternoon, all of them breathing a sigh of relief when they stumbled onto a fence line.

"Oh thank God, does that mean we're close?" Emily asked, breathing hard.

"Quiet down," Roy called. "Everyone take a break, but don't unpack and stick together. Doug, you come with me, the house is just over that hill."

"Me? What am I going to do? I faint at the sight of blood, honestly."

Andy chuckled.

"He's not kidding, I stubbed my toe once, split my nail and there was blood everywhere. Doug fainted dead away like a maiden, smacking his head on my kitchen bench and knocking himself out."

Everyone except for Miranda laughed, poking fun at Doug until Roy waved them quiet again.

"Alright, Andy, you're with me."

Andy shrugged off her pack and went to follow Roy over the fence. She hesitated for a moment, though she wasn't sure why. Maybe Miranda was going to say something, perhaps a good luck, but when she looked over at the woman there was nothing. Feeling worse after the brush off, Andy growled, clambering through the wire and into the field.

"Hear that?" Roy asked, stopping her before the crest of the hill.

Andy tipped her head, listening out for whatever Roy was picking up, finally registering the sound.

"Dogs," she said, looking for confirmation.

"They sound like they're onto us, or, there's someone waiting for us."

Andy watched as Roy commando crawled forward, rolling over the brow of the hill and disappearing. It was intense, waiting unarmed and completely out of her league for the only man she knew could protect her and the rest of the waiting group. Her heart pounded in her ears and her breathing was so loud she was afraid someone might hear her.

"Right -"

"Oh my God!" Andy said, smacking his chest. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," he chuckled. "The house looks empty and I can't see anyone. I think the dogs are just hungry because they're shut up in their runs with no food or water."

"Aw, poor things," Andy said with a grimace. "Are they dangerous?"

"Well, I wouldn't like to go up against them," Roy chuckled. "You go get the others and I'll clear the house, then meet you at the back door."

"Alright," Andy nodded. "Meet you there."

She waited for Roy to disappear before retracing her steps back to the others.

"Andy!"

"Hey kidlet," Andy greeted Caroline with a hug, letting her cling onto her while she picked up her bag again. "Roy's clearing the house, so we're going to go and join him." She winked at the girls as Cassidy slipped a hand into hers. "We'll be sleeping in a real bed tonight."

"Do you think we could charge our DSi's?" Caroline asked.

"I don't know if there's electricity, but we'll see soon okay? Everyone ready? Okay. So we go over the fence, and then stop just before you go over the hill. Wait there."

She watched them move out, thinking how good they'd all got at working as a cohesive unit. Noticing Miranda dragging her feet, she nudged the girls on, holding the barbed wire as low as she could so they could get over it.

"We'll be there in a minute alright? Tell everyone they're not to go over without Roy."

"Okay," they said in stereo, disappearing into the field.

"My children are enamoured with you," Miranda said, looking like she wasn't going to move. "I, I apologise for this morning. I, I was uncomfortable, I didn't -"

"No, it's okay Miranda," Andy said hotly. "I know I'm not really a catch. I'd probably feel uncomfortable too."

Feeling used and cheated and so many other things that she couldn't even begin to fathom, Andy turned and stormed away. How could Miranda go from being so needy, so desperate to being so cold. She scrubbed a tear from her eye; stupid Andy and her stupid heart.

"Andy, are you okay?"

Andy shrugged off Serena's hand and nodded, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Miranda had joined them once more.

"Right, let's go. Stay together, close to the ground, we're aiming for the back door."

Everyone moved out, cautiously and carefully making their way to the rear of the house.

"I feel like I'm in a cheap action movie," Nigel whispered, making them all laugh.

"Shh!" Andy hissed. "We don't know if the house is safe yet."

"Andy, are those dogs?"

"Oh my God, they're all alone!" Cassidy squealed, moving forward to go to the runs at the end of the yard.

"Hey hey," Roy said, appearing suddenly and grabbing the girl's backpack to stop her in her tracks. "Leave them for now. Let's get inside. The house is clear and I want everyone in the living room to relax alright? You've all earned it."

"Is there electricity Roy? Can we charge our games?"

"Girls, do as Roy says, we'll work out the details later," Miranda said quietly.

Andy followed Roy through the back door, taking in the turned over chairs and the half-cooked meal on the kitchen bench. The residents had been gone for a while, meaning most of the food was off, but with the power still on, which meant the fridge would still be working.

"Home cooked meal tonight Dougie. I'm thinking spaghetti à la Andy."

"Oh girl, I'm just hoping they've got some garlic bread somewhere."

"Carbs?" Emily gasped, looking awkwardly at Miranda.

"They will do you good Emily, do not look a gift horse in the mouth."

Andy rolled her eyes, ushering them into what she thought must be the living room. Roy had pushed the sofas against the wall and was waiting patiently for them.

"I know you're all tired, but I need you to just stick with me for a little while longer. We need practical clothes - enough to last us for a while, we need food and we need rest, in that order. I'd like you all to get out your phone and chargers and plug them into any available socket. Keep them turned off, they'll charge faster, and it's not like we're expecting any calls."

There were a few chuckles, but Andy knew that they were all exhausted.

"Serena? Doug? I'd like you to help Claire down in the kitchen."

"Ah but Andy's going to cook dinner," Doug gushed.

"She can do that later," Roy said, winking at Andy. "But right now, Nigel, you and I are outside looking for gear, and the rest of you can go upstairs and search out some clothes. I know most of them won't fit you guys but there may be something we can use."

Andy groaned as she got up, following Emily, Miranda and the twins up the stairs. It was bad enough to have this awkwardness suddenly develop between her and Miranda, but to have Emily waiting in the wings to no doubt add some snide remark as well was more than she could bear.

"Hey Andy? Who do you think lived here?" Cassidy asked as they entered the first room.

"Not sure Cass," Andy said absently, feeling a little uncomfortable going through a stranger's things.

"Whoever it is had a strange fascination with polyblend clothing, not dissimilar to you, Andréa, when you first joined us."

"Yeah and these people could be dead Miranda, so maybe you should keep your ideas to yourself," she snapped, leaving the room before anything else was said. She found what looked like a spare room and sat on the bed. Her knee was bouncing and her blood was pounding. She shouldn't have shouted at Miranda, it wasn't her fault that she was fabulous and Andy was just, well, Andy. She hadn't been lying when she said she wasn't a catch. She was pretty, sure, but nowhere near Miranda's league, and she'd been stupid to imagine she could ever be.

"Andréa?"

Midway through pacing the room, Andy spun around to see Miranda hovering at the door.

"Look, I shouldn't have snapped. I apologise, I'm working through some stu- um, things right now and I just need to be alone," Andy said, pleading with every deity she knew for Miranda to leave.

"Andréa, I think I said something this morning that you took the wrong way," Miranda said quietly, looking troubled. "I'm not good at this sort of thing, as you know," she grimaced, "you know that more than most people. But, what's important is that you understand what I meant this morning, when we, um, well, when we woke up."

"Miranda, it's not like we had sex," Andy spat, spinning around and looking out of the window to stop herself from saying anything more.

"No, I, I understand that," she said almost at a whisper.

Andy didn't have to turn to know Miranda was moving closer. She could feel it, like a sixth sense. She could pick Miranda out of a crowd, could see her, apparently at random walking down the street in the middle of the day. She stopped beside Andy, filling the younger woman's senses with a scent that was uniquely Miranda - even though they all needed a shower.

"You seem to be under the impression that I dislike you, or your affections," she whispered, looking out of the window as Andy glanced at her. "The truth could not be further from the truth. I have appreciated everything you've done for me, and by extension my daughters; from when you first walked into my office unannounced to this moment."

Andy frowned, thinking back to what Miranda had said earlier.

"I was uncomfortable this morning, but not because I was, we were," the editor took a deep breath, "not because I woke up in your arms." She laughed, though not with happiness. "My God Andréa, you know I am not in the habit of explaining anything to anybody, and yet I stand here explaining my thoughts, feelings and God knows what else to you." Miranda finally turned so she was facing Andy, reaching forward and cupping her cheek. "That in itself should tell you all you need to know."

Forget the butterflies, there were fireworks going off in Andy's stomach as she felt Miranda's soft hands against her skin, and rubbing a thumb along the bone of her cheek.

"Oh," she said lamely. "I, that's good to know," she sighed.

"I agree," Miranda said, smoothing a little curl on the side of Andy's face and sliding her hand back, barely across her ear and around the back of her neck, drawing Andy closer and closer until their noses were practically touching.

"This isn't just because we're stranded right?" Andy whispered, remembering belatedly that she also had a pair of hands, bringing them into the mix and resting them on Miranda's hips.

"Shut up Andréa," Miranda grinned, leaning forward.

"MOM!"

They shot apart as the door banged open and two little red-headed whirlwinds came in wearing matching denim overalls and coloured flannel shirts.

"Look! We look like real farm people!" Caroline said. "How cool is that?"

Andy couldn't help it, she laughed. It wasn't anything to do with the way they looked. They looked gorgeous actually – rosy-cheeked and happy to be playing dress ups – but it was quite clear that Miranda had no clue what to say.

"Hey," Cassidy said, her hands on her hips and glaring at her, "you've worn worse."

"No, sweetie, it's not you at all, I'm just happy you guys found something to wear. I," she paused and glanced at Miranda's face, "well, I was kinda laughing at your Mom."

"I, it is not my fault that my children have never worn overalls, Andréa," she said haughtily, pretending to be miffed, before cracking a grin. "Girls, I should have had some made for you, they are in fact, quite charming."

She opened her arms and her two babies fell into them, laughing as they did so, clearly happy to have a bit of love from their mother. Andy watched on feeling all those feelings she'd hidden, or tried to, explode in her chest. She knew they were too much to put away again. It was not quite the right time yet, and perhaps it wouldn't be until they finally reached their destination, but Andy would wait for her until she was ready. Or at the very least until they were sure the twins wouldn't come bursting through the door.

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Claire poked her head around the door, smiling at the scene in the room. "Wow, you two look like proper little farmers," she said, winking at Miranda. "We sorted through the food. Andy, Doug has assured me that we have the right things for you to make spaghetti, but until dinner I wondered if you'd all like some fruit and cheese?" She grinned at Miranda. "I hear you like coffee too, so there's a mug for the both of you as well."

"There is a God in heaven!" Miranda exclaimed, grabbing at the offered mug before Andy could say anything.

"Wow," Andy said as Miranda took her first sip. "You must really have been suffering."

"You have no idea," she murmured, losing herself in the caffeine, and only wishing it was hotter for a second.

"Mm, thank you Claire," the girls said hoeing into the fruit platter.

"I bet oranges never tasted so good, did they?" Andy said, snagging a few pieces.

"Hey, have you looked in here?" Cassidy asked, peering into the wardrobe. "They have cowboy outfits."

Andy got up to join the adventurous twin and pulled open the wardrobe.

"Whoa!"

Inside was a full set of what Andy could only describe as full cowboy gear. A pair of pristine jeans, a beautifully embroidered shirt, waistcoat, a leather belt with one hell of a buckle and the coolest hat she'd ever seen.

"Hey, check this!" Caroline said, pointing to the Stetson.

"Wow. Hey," Andy said, beckoning them over while Miranda was busy draining her coffee. "I know who'd look amazing in this."

"Who?" they asked, with a little glint of mischief in their eyes.

Andy let her gaze wander purposely towards their mother and back again, only to see a pair of matching grins reflected back at her.

"Oh,"

"Em,"

"Gee!" they squealed.

Andy picked it up gently and walked over to Miranda, feeling giddy as she thought of Miranda wearing the "cowboy" hat.

"We have a present for you," Andy said quietly, disturbing Miranda's communion with her coffee.

"Andréa, what are you -"

Andy brought the hat around and dropped it onto Miranda's head, stepping back and looking critically at the beauty before her.

"Wow that actually looks pretty amazing," Caroline declared, standing how her mother did when she was judging a fashion show.

"Whoa there cowgirl!" Doug said as he joined them. "That looks pretty awesome Miranda. I think you should keep it."

Miranda looked up at the brim of the hat, and walked out of the room, ignoring Andy and the others following her. She made her way to the bathroom and stood before the mirror.

"Douglas, I think I may just do that," she said, tipping it back so she could see. "Andréa?"

"Oh yeah," Andy moaned, clearing her throat when she realised how she sounded. "Um, I'm going to -"

She pointed at the door and escaped out of the bathroom before she could say anything else to embarrass herself.

-0-

The kitchen was well lit and Andy liked it immediately. It was easy to move around in and she found all the ingredients laid out for her. She spent a few moments prepping and was so engrossed in her task, she didn't notice Miranda standing in the doorway watching her until the woman cleared her throat.

"Geez, what is it with everyone sneaking up on me today?" Andy said, trying to calm her heart. "Roy about near killed me earlier."

Miranda didn't say anything in response, but Andy knew she was smiling, even as she concentrated on not cutting her fingers off. She could feel those baby blues searing into the back of her head.

"Are you going to come and help me, or are you just going to watch?" Andy asked, feeling emboldened by their earlier conversation.

"I haven't made spaghetti since I was in college Andréa," she chuckled, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge. "I would be useless as a helper, but I'm quite happy to watch."

Miranda straightened up, holding a beer. Andy nearly choked on the tomato she was nibbling on as Miranda twisted off the top and took a swig from the bottle. Her mouth dropped open as she watched those perfect lips caress the top of that long neck and she shivered. She suddenly had an image of those lips wrapped around a part of her anatomy and she groaned, low in her throat, reverberating around her chest, making Miranda smirk.

"Are you ill Andréa?"

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" Andy said, still staring.

"Well, it is fun playing with you," Miranda replied, sauntering around the bench to Andy's side. "Although not quite the 'playing' I had in mind."

"You're not drunk are you?" Andy asked, suddenly worried. It wasn't really like Miranda to come on so strong.

"No Andréa, I'm not drunk, just -" she chewed her lip and Andy nearly added her thumb to the bolognaise. "I'm at peace with my decisions."

"Good to know," Andy said, turning to put the rest of the ingredients in the pot, only to find Miranda blocking her way. They stood toe to toe, looking in each other's eyes, both of them grinning as Andy placed the cutting board on the surface and grabbed Miranda's waist. "I'm going to kiss you now, alright?" Andy said, leaning into Miranda's personal space.

"MOM! ANDY!"

"Son of a bitch," Andy groaned, leaning her head on Miranda's shoulder. "Lady, I love your kids, but I'm seriously thinking of locking them in a bedroom."

Miranda chuckled and kissed Andy's cheek, smiling gently and pulling Andy into the living room where the twins were watching the TV. As soon as the twins saw Andy and their mom, they each ran to their side, gripping their hands tightly as Andy realised what the television was showing. It was a continuous scrolling message that chilled her to the bone.

_This is a service announcement. Evacuations have been completed, no more evacuations are possible at this time. Northern borders are closed. Vigilantes are now patrolling cities and outlying areas. Prepare and arm yourself - you are now on your own. This emergency broadcast will be revised as more information is received. Good luck and Godspeed._

Andy placed Cassidy in Miranda's arms and went to the front door to call Roy and Nigel in. It looked as though their pillaging had been successful with all the things they came out of the sheds carrying, but the mood was sorely tested as they all read the announcement.

"Well, at least we know now," Roy said, turning the TV off. He knelt in front of the girls, winking at them and taking their hands which were not hanging desperately onto Miranda. "We're going to be alright. We're going to make it to Andy's grandparent's place, and we're not going to worry about that, okay? Now, are your Gameboy things charged?" They both nodded, with Caroline pointing to a power point where they were both plugged in. "Okay, how about you sit and play with them for a while, just until Andy finishes dinner, and then we'll all eat together alright?"

They moved away and Andy returned to the kitchen, catching the bolognaise before it burnt. She busied herself with the cooking, finding a mixture of pasta in the cupboard. By the time the water was boiling and the sauce was simmering, Andy sat back, leaning on one of the bar stools and playing with the label on the forgotten beer bottle.

"I was just coming to finish that," Miranda said, her hand hot on Andy's back. "Would you share it with me?" she asked, motioning for Andy to take a drink.

"I don't think one bottle will be enough, but I suppose it will do for now," Andy said. "There's enough for everyone to have one and for us to have another, so I'm not going to worry."

She took a sip, grimacing at the taste. She'd never been a big beer drinker. Nate had been the one that drank the stuff, and she'd hated tasting it on him as much as she hated drinking it herself.

"It's not my usual fare," Miranda said, also taking a healthy mouthful, "but it will do for now."

"I guess we'll wait for that kiss?" Andy asked, already knowing the answer. "It clearly isn't meant to be right now."

"I, my daughters need me Andréa. I only came in to make sure you were alright, and to finish this," she said toasting Andy with a smirk.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "I can't wait to finally get to kiss you though. I reckon you'd be an awesome kisser."

Miranda giggled, blowing Andy's mind in the process as she cupped the younger woman's cheek, smiling affectionately.

"Patience is a virtue my darling," she whispered, leaning in to kiss Andy's earlobe and disappearing before Andy could react.

"Cruel," Andy muttered to herself. "Cruel, cruel woman."

Eventually Andy called out that dinner was ready and everyone piled into the kitchen to set the table, their eyes shining at the prospect of a hot meal.

"Oh this looks so good!" Serena exclaimed, hugging Andy excitedly.

"Well, make sure you taste it first," Andy warned. "I had to add a couple of odd ingredients seeing as we're missing a few others."

"I'm sure it will be amazing Andy," Nigel said, helping Miranda into a seat. "Look what we found in the barn!" he said, producing a bottle of wine with a flourish. "I know that partaking liberally isn't on the cards, but I thought a glass or two might be nice."

He pulled the cork like an expert and splashed a little in a glass, bowing comically to Miranda who played along, no doubt revelling in the laughter of her children as they watched.

"Mm, it is not terrible," Miranda sniffed.

"That's so good Mom. Uncle Nigel is funny," Cassidy sighed, leaning against her Mom.

"He is indeed," Miranda said, patting Nigel's hand as it rested on her shoulder. The boundaries that had once been in place had gone out the window when their plane had crashed, and even Emily had patted Miranda's arm, and accepted a hand in need from the once-revered woman. As Andy sat beside Caroline, winking at the little girl, she realised how close they'd all become in the space of just a few days.

"I'd like to make a toast," Andy said, standing up and taking her glass, "or a prayer, or something while we're all here enjoying ourselves. I couldn't be stranded in the middle of nowhere with better people. I love you all very much, yeah Em, even you," she grinned as the Brit rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. "So, to family." She raised her glass, waiting for everyone else to answer the toast before taking a sip. "Now, dig in."

Dinner passed in a flurry of laughter and good food and a little more wine than was perhaps prudent. Emily and Serena looked so relaxed Andy was sure they were going to start making out at the table until she caught Roy and Claire. Claire was leaning against Roy's chest, her hand over his heart and his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder. Andy decided that it didn't matter. Cassidy had fallen asleep against Miranda's thigh and Caroline looked set to go any moment.

"Hey squirt, let's get you upstairs to bed," Andy said, leaning down and shaking the girl a little. "Do I need to carry you?"

"No," she yawned. "I'm okay."

Miranda excused herself, waking Cassidy up in the process and followed them, gently frogmarching Cassidy up the stairs to make sure she didn't tip backwards.

There were slim pickings in terms of beds, but everyone had already agreed that the twins should get one of them, so Andy changed the sheets on one of the single beds in the spare room. Miranda helped them change out of their overalls and into the shower. They were still young enough and tired enough that it didn't matter in the slightest, and by the time they were in pyjamas that were far too big for them they were basically sleepwalking.

"Mom? I liked tonight," Cassidy yawned, rolling onto her side and hugging her mother's thigh. "It was nice. Can we have that all the time? The family part?"

Andy smiled sadly as Miranda seemed to deflate before her eyes. She knew from all the overheard conversations and a quick perusal of headlines during the rather messy divorce from Stephen that Miranda felt responsible for neglecting them somewhat, and Cassidy's question would only compound those feelings of insecurity.

"I'm sure we'll have loads of other days like it Cass," Andy reassured her, while leaning forward and kissing Caroline, then Cassidy on their heads. "'Night guys."

She left Miranda to sooth her kids, wondering how much of a save she'd made by answering Cassidy's question before Miranda did.

"Hey, Nigel's on watch duty. We found a hunting rifle in the barn, so we've loaded it up and I gave him a few pointers, but hopefully he won't have to use it," Roy muttered as they met at the bottom of the stairs. "The rest of us had better get some sleep. The more we get, the better we'll feel. Depending on how the night goes, we'll probably stay here until we're forced to move. It'll be good to get some R&R and a few of us," he looked over at Emily, "could use the respite."

"Yeah, no worries. When's my shift?" she asked.

"Um, you're with me, 3am." He grinned at her as she groaned.

"Of course I am," she chuckled.

"Miranda's with Doug on the midnight shift. Nigel and I thought everyone should have a shower too. I know we've all been hanging out for one, but we'll have to conserve the hot water, or else the people at the end of the line will be having a cold one."

"Okay, how are we going to do this?" Andy asked. "You should definitely have one soon so you can clean that leg - don't think we've forgotten about it."

He chuckled but nodded.

"I thought we'd pick numbers from a bowl," he said. "Nigel is happy to have his when he comes off duty. Even if we use all the hot water now, there should be some more by then."

"Alright. I'll get Miranda."

Andy climbed back up the stairs, two at a time and reached Miranda as she was closing the door to the twin's room.

"Hey, we're about to sort out shower orders," she said gently, taking Miranda's hand and twining her fingers in hers. "Are you okay?"

"I am… unsettled," she said haltingly. "Cassidy was right when she suggested we do this more often. The girls have been without a true family for so long and have not had the opportunity to enjoy such a large familial gathering before now. It was unpleasant to realise."

"They're good kids, Miranda, and once we get to Grandpa's they will have ready-made grandparents and great grandparents to add to the mix. They're going to be fine."

"I believe they might." Miranda squeezed her hand and dropped it as they stepped into the living room, where they took a seat on one of the small sofas, waiting for Roy to deal out names from the bowl.

A shower would go a long way to relaxing muscles that had been worked hard, and relieving tension that had sat on all their shoulders since the crash. With a good meal in their bellies they would all sleep well tonight, while Andy had already spied what she would cook for the twins tomorrow. Pancakes would no doubt go a long way to keep the high they were riding. She made a mental note to find something for the dogs to eat. She wasn't going to get cosy with them, but she couldn't watch them starve. Tonight, they would quiet the dogs, get a good night's sleep and welcome tomorrow with fresh eyes.

They were going to be alright.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Good morning. Good to see you all again, hope you've all be keeping busy while we got this chapter together. Nothing really going on here, 'cept we've just had the first day of spring. That's always fun…apparently – Australia doesn't really have any discernible seasons **** we've got mostly hot and dry, then mostly hot and rainy with just a few cold days scattered around (When I say cold, I mean like 10C lol sorry to all your Northern Hemispherians - if that isn't a word, I think it should be)**

**Anyway, I digress. As always I bow down to my magnanimous beta. She rocks. Everyone say thank you. **

-0-

Andy yawned as she stretched, squealing and grabbing whatever she could when she almost fell out of the bed.

"Andréa, what in God's name are you doing?" Miranda snarled, pulling the young woman back into the bed and wrapping her arms around her. "Are you planning on waking me up like this every morning? I only went to sleep an hour ago."

Andy laughed, snuggling in closer to Miranda.

"I'm sorry," Andy apologised. "Wait, does that mean I _can_ wake you up every morning?" Andy asked, grinning against Miranda's neck.

"You can certainly try," Miranda purred, rubbing her foot along the inside of Andy's calf. "I do wake up extremely early."

"Mom?"

Andy stilled, her eyes going wide as she let Miranda approach the situation as slowly and carefully as possible. One of the twins climbed over her hip and dropped between them without ceremony.

"Good morning, Bobbsey," Miranda said, kissing the little girl's hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, except Caroline snores and the bed is really small."

Andy giggled, grabbing the edge of the bedhead to make sure she didn't fall out.

"I know how you feel sweetheart," Andy said, tickling her side a little. "Your mother snores too."

Cassidy giggled but didn't move from between the two women. Andy couldn't help the smile she wore as she watched Miranda run her fingers through her hair. No words were said as they lay there, listening to Caroline still snoring from her bed until Cassidy's tummy started rumbling.

"I believe it is time for the little monster to be fed."

"Hey!" Cassidy protested, laughing as her mother poked her belly.

"I am thinking pancakes, what do you think sweetie? The only thing we're missing is eggs, but I saw what looked like a chicken coop behind the dogs, so maybe you and Caroline can come and have a look with me."

"Yeah," Cassidy said, sitting up excitedly. "I'll get Caro."

Andy rolled over, watching as Cassidy bounced off the bed and launched herself onto her sister.

"Mm, they are so happy," Miranda said, rolling into Andy's back and wrapping an arm around her waist. "It certainly wasn't my influence and Stephen barely said two words to them, so it _has_ to be you."

"Me?" Andy said, looking back over her shoulder. "That's ridiculous. I'm not that much of an influence."

"I beg to differ, my dear," Miranda said kissing Andréa's ear. "Now, I estimate that you have about twelve seconds before my two terrors finish fighting over the bathroom and come back in here, and drag you from my arms to do some _real_ farm work."

"Oh dear."

"Andy, Andy, Andy, we're ready!" they announced, appearing at their bedside wearing their overalls and shirts once more.

"Alright kiddos, get your shoes on and we'll go and find some eggs."

They ran off, leaving Andy and Miranda alone once more.

"I guess that's my cue to leave then," Andy sighed, patting Miranda's hand. "Meet you downstairs for pancakes."

"You don't really expect _me_ to eat pancakes?" Miranda asked, sounding horrified but with a glint in her eyes that Andy couldn't read.

"I do, and I expect you to make Emily eat at least one as well," Andy said, taking Miranda's hand and kissing the back of it. "Catch you soon. Have a lie in, or maybe have another shower. Do something special."

"Hmm," Miranda hummed, pulling the comforter closer to her as Andy slipped out. "I believe I might just do that."

Andy grinned, feeling brave and leaning over, kissing Miranda's nose.

"See you soon."

Andy followed the noise down the stairs to find Cassidy and Caroline arguing with Doug about Spongebob and Bugs Bunny.

"You two ready to go?"

"All ready Andy," Caroline said, both of them standing to attention before her while Doug grinned in the background.

"Good. Now we need something we can put the eggs in, and I thought we could grab some of the leftovers from last night and give it to the dogs."

"Cool."

Like two little worker bees, they scoured the kitchen for what they needed before following Andy out of the door.

"You two have to be very careful, okay? These dogs are not Patricia. We don't know anything about them and we don't know if they've had all their shots. So I want you to split those leftovers and I'll drop them into their bowls."

"Andy?" Caroline said, standing back while watching the dogs prowl back and forth. "What happens when we leave? The dogs won't have any food or water. They'll die."

Andy had been afraid of that sort of question and she took a moment to think about the answer.

"Well, I'm not sure what we're going to do about that sweetie, but we'll put our heads together and see what happens."

She shrugged, turning back to look at the dogs. "I guess that's okay."

Andy wrapped her arm around Caroline's shoulder, jostling with her until she perked up again.

"Now, anyone ever collected eggs before?" Andy asked, looking at them both.

"Nope."

Andy sighed, pushing open the door to the coop and walking in, letting the girls follow her as she did.

"Are chickens dangerous?" Cassidy asked, looking a little worried.

"Um, I don't think so," Andy said ruffling her fringe. "I guess if one attacks, then there's enough of us to beat them up."

She giggled, but nodded. Andy walked forward, lifting the door to the little hut and peering in. There were nests lined up against the wall and as a rush of chickens exited through a little door to the side, she was free to pull open what looked like the main door.

"Okay, so I guess we just look for the nests that have eggs in it," Andy said with a shrug.

"How do we know they don't have baby chickens in?" Caroline asked, peering hard at an egg.

Andy paused, feeling a little queasy as she thought of that before her common sense kicked in. Why do children always ask questions that everyone would prefer not to answer?

"I guess, well, let's have a look and see if we can find a rooster. If there isn't, then we should be alright."

Andy grimaced, sending a little prayer to the heavens that there wouldn't be a cockerel in sight.

Once they'd pillaged all the eggs from the hut, they walked carefully back to the house looking very pleased for themselves.

"Look Roy, we found some eggs!"

Andy pottered around the kitchen, gathering all the ingredients she needed for pancakes. There were plenty of supplies and she lost herself in preparing the batter and listening to the girls chattering with Roy. She knew Miranda wasn't going to be up yet, nor would the others, but as the smell of pancakes wafted throughout the house, more and more of them appeared at the kitchen doorway.

"I haven't had pancakes since I spent Christmas at home," Serena said, arm in arm with Emily. "They smell amazing."

"They're going to taste amazing too," Andy laughed. "How about you two make yourself useful and grab some plates. I figure we can eat at the table this time. Nice sit down breakfast to start our day."

"Honestly, I can't believe you're going to feed Miranda this," Emily gestured, "this family food."

"She _is_ family," Caroline said, frowning. "Why wouldn't Mom eat pancakes? She loves pancakes. She makes them for our birthday every year."

Andy couldn't help but laugh at Emily's impression of a fish. Little by little, Emily's impression of Miranda was being whittled down to a more normal level of respect.

"Emily, are you tormenting my children?" Miranda's disembodied voice came into the kitchen.

Even Serena joined in laughing as Emily froze, uttering a squeak.

"Relax Emily. I am no longer your boss," Miranda said, patting the hapless woman on her shoulder. "Why don't you find us some glasses, and please tell me that someone has put some coffee on."

Andy laughed, offering the woman a full cup of java with a flourish.

"For you, my lady. Now sit down and prepare to have your world rocked."

There was another round of laughter as Miranda sat between her girls, waiting for the precious plate of pancakes to be served.

"Yum," Doug grinned. "Andy's pancakes are amazing. They look just like normal pancakes, but they're better, so much better than any other pancakes you will ever have," he said proudly. "I don't know what she puts in them to make them taste so good."

"It's just love, Dougie," Andy said, kissing him as she served up his pancakes. "Make sure you share that syrup around."

"Wow Andy, these really are amazing," Nigel praised, closing his eyes as he chewed. "Magnifique. No wonder you were a size six."

"Hey!" Andy protested, yanking away his plate. "That's your pancake allowance revoked."

"Aw, Andy, no come on. I didn't mean it," Nigel said, looking stricken at the prospect. "Please, I'm sorry."

Andy chuckled as she released his plate and got her own.

Breakfast was better than dinner the night before. Conversation was light and they spent a lot of time laughing and joking.

"How long are we staying here for Roy?" Caroline asked, running her finger through the syrup on the plate, glancing guiltily at her Mom.

"Well, there's food for a few days and we've put aside the things that won't spoil, so I think we stay until we run out of fresh food, then move onto somewhere else. I know we're all kind of eager to get to Andy's grandparent's place, but we've pushed ourselves pretty hard, and truthfully, my leg needs to heal a little before we set off again."

"Cool, so does that mean we can go on the trampoline that's leaning against the barn?" Cassidy asked, looking sideways at Caroline.

Andy laughed, patting Miranda's hand when she started to say something.

"Maybe Doug and Nigel can go keep an eye on you for a while."

"You do exactly as Uncle Nigel and," Miranda glanced at Doug, shrugging a little, "Uncle Douglas says."

"Yey, you hear that Uncle Doug?" Caroline cheered, pushing her chair back noisily and pulling on his arm. "That means you get to come play with us."

Everyone sat watching the twins push the two hapless men from the room whooping and hollering.

"I'm not sure they know what they've let themselves in for," Miranda said more to herself than anyone else.

Claire chuckled and got up to clear the plates, prompting Andy to do the same.

"No Andy, we've got this," Claire said with a kind smile. "Besides, I think Roy would like to talk to you about maps and things, and I think you should probably do it in the living room. He may not be talking about it, but I happen to know that his leg is really troubling him."

"Claire!" Roy growled, rolling his eyes.

"What? I'm just looking after my darling, stubborn husband," she said innocently, winking at Andy as she walked around the table.

"Come on Roy, I'll lend you my arm."

Andy helped Roy out, leaving the four women to talk quietly in the kitchen.

-0-

"Claire, tell us about yourself," Miranda said, picking up her own plate and her children's and glaring at Emily until she did so as well. Serena followed suit and they all stood around the sink washing the dishes and clearing the kitchen back to its original form.

"I'm a second grade teacher, have been for years," she said happily.

"How long have you been married to Roy?"

"He was my high school sweetheart," Claire blushed. "I've loved that man for as long as I can remember. He went away to war for a while, and when he came back it was difficult, but we worked through it."

Miranda squirmed momentarily before she realised Claire had not directed the comment at her. It wasn't a secret that Miranda's marriages had both failed, but Claire it seemed was simply telling her story - something that Miranda had never really had the opportunity to experience before. Her shield - that 'dragon' persona - had protected her from so many things in her life; from the hurt and pain and judgement of people she deemed far less worthy than her, but at the same time it had caused her to miss out on things as well. Mothers groups and normal everyday sit down coffee dates with other people who were just that, normal.

"What about you Serena? What's your story?" Claire asked, passing out four mugs of coffee that Miranda hadn't seen her make. "You are an incredibly beautiful woman, whose accent says that you aren't from New York."

"You are correct," Serena said with a smile that Miranda knew had won her big dollars in the modelling world, before coming to Runway to start her career in art direction. "I was born in Brazil, I was there for many years, before coming to America as a model."

"Where she did remarkably well, if I might say so," Miranda interjected, toasting Serena with a nod of respect. She had been a fabulous model, always ready to work and take direction, unlike so many other models who hailed from backgrounds quite the opposite of Serena's.

"Thank you Miranda, for saying so," she smiled. "Once I had finished my modelling, I asked Miranda for a job, she gave me one and this was where I met my Emily," she gushed, looking at her partner beside her. "It took us a few years to work out we both loved each other, but now, we are happy."

"Good," Miranda said, causing Emily to gasp. "I am not without a heart, Emily. I had noticed a change in you, but did not know to attribute it to you being happier in your personal life. I'm glad you have found someone to share your life with."

Once upon a time, Miranda would have never uttered those words, and more, would have taken some sort of sick glee from the way Emily was looking at her, but now, after everything that had happened, it just made her sad. Emily was not a bad person. Wired, yes, and perhaps a little too sycophantic, but she was a good assistant, and despite her somewhat acerbic nature, a good person too.

Miranda sipped on her coffee, despite it not being hot enough for her liking. It was nice of Claire to make her one, so she drank it, as was the polite thing to do. She was secretly pleased, however, when Andréa returned to the kitchen, stealing her mug and taking a sip without ceremony.

Miranda wanted to laugh at the look the young woman got from both Serena and Emily, but as she finished off the last drop and squeezed Miranda's shoulder, she went to the machine and made another coffee, heating it up further in the microwave before presenting it to her. This time when she had a sip, her eyes closed and she moaned at the heat. Coffee was so much better when it was hot.

"Mom, Mom, Mom!" Cassidy cried as she came running in. "Uncle Doug just taught us how to do backflips, you _have _to come and see!"

Miranda's posture stiffened at that news and she nodded, sinking back into her former persona to prevent herself from panicking and clutching her baby to her chest. She was dragged out by the hand to find Caroline, barefooted, bouncing steadily on the trampoline. Her coffee long forgotten, Miranda watched with baited breath as Douglas hopped up onto the mat and stood next to Caroline, rolling with the bounces.

"Watch this Mom!" she said, digging in her feet before launching herself into the air.

Miranda felt her heart stop as she watched, almost in slow motion, as her baby girl flew her feet over her head and she closed her eyes expecting the landing to go somewhat less than perfectly.

They flew open again immediately however, when a hand slipped into hers. She just had time to see Caroline land on both feet, looking triumphant and Andréa whistled loudly in her ear, making her wince. Normally she would have made some sort of derisive comment, but Caroline looked so proud that she didn't even blink when Andréa did it again. If anything it made her just a tiny bit more sexy. Like a proverbial bad boy, as it were. Miranda scoffed at herself, but smiled and congratulated Caroline on her effort.

"My turn now!" Cassidy said, as she clambered onto the trampoline while Caroline jumped down and into her mother's arms.

"Did you see me Mom?"

"Of course I did sweetheart, you were very good. Now let's watch Cassidy as well."

As it turned out, Cassidy needed two goes at her backflip after balking the first time. Trying again, Miranda could see Douglas' hand on her middle, directing her flip so she landed smoothly as well.

"Well done Cassidy. That shows you that with perseverance, anything is possible," Miranda said, receiving a boisterous hug from her youngest.

"I'm kind of hungry," Caroline said, looking up at Andréa.

Miranda chuckled, knowing that look perfectly well as the one Caroline used on her father to get anything she asked for. She noticed Andréa grinning as well and watched on with a warm feeling growing in her belly as the woman she had fallen in love with chased her child through the yard.

Serena and Emily mentioned going for a walk and after a few pointers from Roy, they left, hand in hand. Nigel and Doug went exploring in the yard and Roy cajoled Claire into joining him for a nap - something Miranda was sure was innocent, but didn't want to think about anyway. She wasn't a prude by any means, but there were just some things she would prefer not to think about.

"I guess it's just us then," Andréa said, joining her and Cassidy again with Caroline draped over her shoulder, giggling and squealing with laughter. "Does this belong to you by the way?" she asked casually as she hefted the load she was carrying.

"I believe it does," Miranda said, unable to hide a smirk. "Although I think, if you caught her, you should keep her."

"MOM!" Caroline squealed as Andréa tickled her sides.

They all migrated into the living room to find something to do as Andréa prepared them all a snack.

"Hey, look at these!" Cassidy said, opening a cupboard to find it laden with DVDs. Miranda joined them at the shelves, vetoing some and absolutely refusing others until they'd decided on one they would all enjoy.

"What are we watching?" Andréa asked, coming into the room laden with a plate full of fresh fruit and a bowl of popcorn that she had miraculously procured from somewhere.

"Eight Below," Caroline said. "Have you seen it?"

"I have, but not for a very long time."

Miranda settled onto a sofa, watching as her girls dragged some chair cushions onto the floor to lie on while Andréa collapsed down next to her. She rolled her eyes, but didn't comment - especially when Andréa's hand slipped into hers.

The movie was not what she had expected, and towards the end, Miranda and Andréa had welcomed two immensely sad girls onto their laps as the film continued, before ending on what Miranda viewed as a somewhat happy ending.

"Aw, Mom!" Cassidy sobbed, cuddling into Miranda's neck.

"He wouldn't leave them behind, would he Andy?" Caroline asked quietly, cuddling the woman's arm tightly.

Andréa chuckled and pulled her arm from Caroline's grasp, before shifting her onto her knee.

"Caroline, I figure this movie is kinda like our situation. It doesn't matter what happens, we're not going to leave any of you behind, alright?" Andréa said, making sure that Cassidy was listening too - something Miranda knew endeared Andréa even more to her girls. "Things can happen, and sometimes we have to carry on, but nobody is ever going to be left behind."

"I love you Andy," Cassidy said, crawling over Miranda to get to Andréa.

Miranda winced a little as Cassidy's knee pressed down on her thigh, but she simply watched in awe of the young woman who had her heart. She knew she was not an easy person to love, but Andréa was. And she made it so simple to want to be loved. She gave Miranda the space she needed, but knew when to push; she didn't want to talk about the things that Miranda had no answer for, and she seemed to be so enamoured with Miranda, in a different way to everyone always was, so that Miranda couldn't help but feel special, and cared for, and loved. Which just made loving Andréa back all the more simple.

"I love you too, both of you," Andréa said gently, kissing both little red heads gently. "How about you guys play some Gameboy while you can still recharge them?" she suggested.

"You may take your devices outside if you must, but I want to you pay attention to what's around you, and try not to disturb anyone."

"Yes Mom!" they called in stereo as they gathered up their games and ran outside.

"They're good kids Miranda," Andréa said quietly, leaning back against the sofa.

"As I said this morning," Miranda began, turning Andrea's face to hers, "it cannot be my influence that has made them so."

She leant in for a kiss, but Andréa held her back, and she drew away before Andréa could say anything.

"No, don't go, I'm not knocking you back, I just want to tell you something," Andréa said, pinning Miranda to her with those strong arms.

"It is down to you Miranda, they're kind, gentle and polite, but they won't give up in a fight, and if they're pushed, they'll push back - just like you."

Miranda's heart sped up as Andréa ran her thumb along her lips, absent of lipstick for so many days.

"Your children are yours, Miranda. I can see you in them so easily."

"Thank you," Miranda whispered, feeling foolish for her momentary thoughts of rejection.

"You're welcome," Andréa said, against her neck. "Now come here."

Her lips were a perfect mixture of soft and smooth. She knew in her head that she could kiss Andréa for as long as she wanted without ever getting bored of it. She couldn't help the moan that she made when she felt Andréa's hands rubbing the skin that was peeking out from between her jeans and her shirt, and when that hand started running up her spine, Miranda growled and pulled Andréa closer, sinking her hands into those long brown locks.

"Oh god, you taste so good," Andréa moaned as Miranda realised how idle she was being.

Andréa's whole body was hers to explore, and so she did that, running her nails gently along Andréa's shoulders, listening to the hitch in her breath. She whimpered, quite without meaning to when Andréa pulled away from the kiss, instead latching onto her neck and sucking the sensitive skin just under her ear. Her brain left all reasonable thoughts behind as she felt her fingers undoing the buttons of Andréa's shirt, her hand sliding in the gap and cupping a full breast.

"Jesus!" Andy hissed, making Miranda grin dangerously. She ran her fingers along the bra, feeling where the material stopped and the decadently soft skin started, tickling underneath the cup and finding Andréa's rock hard tip.

"Miranda, I, shit -"

She'd never moved so fast as she leapt off Andréa's lap, trying to catch her breath and pull down her shirt after it had miraculously shifted upwards thanks to Andrea's dastardly hands.

"I'm so sorry," Nigel said, looking like someone who knew he was about to be killed.

"It's alright Nigel, we were just -"

Miranda couldn't stay; she had to get out, away from the two sets of eyes boring into her own. She stalked from the room and out of the house, ignoring Andréa's calls. The afternoon sun was warm and did nothing to alleviate the heat on her skin. She waved vaguely at her children but didn't stop, marching straight towards the small collection of trees off to the side of the house.

It was cooler in the shade, and she leant against a strong trunk, taking solace in its surety. Everything was so confusing and she gripped the trunk like a lifeline, hoping for shelter from the storm that was swirling in her head.

She didn't know how long she stood there, clinging to the bark, but when she felt two arms wrap around her middle and a head resting against her shoulder, she knew who it would be.

"You alright?" Andréa whispered, not turning her, nor pulling her away from the tree she had decided was her own.

It was just another example of Andréa's depth, her understanding of all things Miranda Priestly.

"I am conflicted," Miranda heard herself say. "I want you so much, but I cannot successfully marry my own personal fears and my feelings for you without losing my mind."

"You put so much pressure on yourself," she heard Andréa whisper. "We're not talking marriage Miranda, we're not even talking sex just yet. Nigel is your friend, and you shouldn't feel the need to hide from him, or me." Andréa sighed, and Miranda felt it against her back. "We're all in such a strange situation that Nigel won't think any less of you for having a relationship with me. As it turns out, I'm quite sure Nigel and Doug are looking at each other sideways if you know what I mean."

Miranda felt awful as Andréa's words sunk in. The young woman clearly thought that Miranda was ashamed of being seen with her. She realised, quite belatedly, that despite their closeness, and the somewhat tactile nature that they had explored in bed this morning, that Miranda had given Andréa no indication of how she felt.

"Oh, my darling, I'm so sorry," she said finally, turning in Andrea's arms and resting her back against her tree. "I should have been more open with you, more responsive. I'm not ashamed of being with you. I am only worried that my own ridiculous actions will result in you pulling away from me. And Nigel, him walking into that room and seeing me with my hand in your shirt, and your hand, wherever it was. I wasn't embarrassed to be seen with you, rather embarrassed to be caught in such a compromising situation."

"Wow," Andréa said, making Miranda roll her eyes.

"I bear my soul and all you can say is 'wow'?"

"Well, I would say you don't ever explain yourself," Andréa started, placing a finger on Miranda's lips when she went to speak again, "but then I realise that with me, that's not entirely true, is it? You've actually explained many things to me, many times."

"That just shows you how much I cared for you, even then," Miranda said quietly.

"I love being with you Miranda, I'm sorry if you felt embarrassed."

"Yes, well."

Miranda's felt her breathing shorten as Andréa's sinfully delicious body pushed her against the rough bark. For the first time in many, many years, Miranda was glad she was not wearing couture. The rugged nature of her clothes lent itself to the situation as Andrea's knee slipped between her legs, rubbing against the seam of her jeans.

"Good God, Andréa!" Miranda said, arching against her. "I, I don't want to upset you," Miranda started, gasping as Andréa's hands found her bra, "but I don't want to do this against a tree. I want you, I want to experience things with you that I have never had the desire to do before with any of my ex-husbands, but I don't want quick and dirty against a tree."

"Grr," Andréa said, though Miranda could feel the smile pressed against her shoulder. "I suppose you're right."

"I'm always right," Miranda said haughtily, though with a smile of her own as Andréa's beautiful face swam before her. "Thank you."

"You, my love, are always welcome." Andréa pulled her in for a quick, but deep kiss, leaving her panting as they entwined their fingers together. "Now, let's go see what Dougie has made for dinner."

"Where you lead, I shall follow," Miranda said, realising as Andréa did just that, that it wasn't far from the truth.

She'd spent so long leading, expecting and demanding all people to follow, that to have someone else doing the leading allowed her far greater opportunity to relax. She trusted Andréa with her life, and more importantly, the lives of her children. Wherever the beautiful creature led, Miranda would be sure to follow, even if it was to the ends of the earth.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here we are again, in the wonderful land of Mirandy! I have to say, once again, how amazing all of you are! I've had a busy couple of weeks so if I didn't get to reply to all of your brilliant reviews, I apologise. I promise I will get to them soon. I guess I should start writing it again (Ch 11 is the last pre-done one). Shout out to my favourite beta, who is tireless in her battle against me "she held her tightly"'s. Thank God for her I say. I always forget things that I meant to tell you guys, but I'm sure it'll come to me at 2am lol**

**N.B. There a bit of darkness here. And it will continue in the next chapter or two. Just as a heads up**

-0-

Miranda ran her hand over Caroline's hair as they walked hand in hand along the road. Having remained in the abandoned house for nearly a week, they were all refreshed and mostly healed. The scar on Serena's face was still a little pink, but barely noticeable thanks to her golden skin. Roy's leg was well on the mend too, as was Andy's arm.

Miranda sighed happily as she looked up from her daughter, watching Andréa and Douglas pushing each other back and forth like a pair of school children. Miranda's heart clenched when she made that particular distinction, and she frowned, wondering if what she and Andréa were embarking on was the right thing to do. Andréa was so young, and she was so, well, she was not a young woman any more. Andréa couldn't know the tension that was building in Miranda's shoulders at the thought of finally being intimate with her.

They'd spent some of the last few nights cuddling up and kissing each other softly, but both of them had been on seperate watch duties so there had not been the time, or the mutual inclination to go much further. Miranda could see that Andréa wanted to though, she could see the lust in her eyes and it scared her.

Not in the sense that Andréa would hurt her. She knew that was the last thing Andréa would want to do, but Miranda had wrinkles, scars, gravity affected areas that no matter how much exercise she engaged in just would not lift. Caroline squeezed her hand, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry darling, Mommy was miles away."

"When we get to Andy's grandparent's house, we're not going to leave her, are we?" Caroline asked.

"I, I cannot really say darling," Miranda answered cautiously. "It may be that we have to leave, and that Andréa will want to stay with her family."

"But, but I don't want her to!" Caroline whined, making Miranda stop and look down at her in concern. "She loves us Mom. All of us. Cassy and I have both noticed how happy you are when you're with Andy and we can't lose her, not now. And it's not like you have your magazine to go back to. We can just be normal!"

"Caroline, I -"

"Mom, Cassidy and I were talking, and, well, I guess we just want you to think about it. Andy's good for us, all of us."

"Alright Caroline, I promise you I will think about it and discuss it with Andréa. It is not right that we make decisions that she may not want to be a part of."

"Oh come on Mom," Caroline laughed, tugging on Miranda's hand. "She's so in love with you it's borderline soppy."

Miranda couldn't help but chuckle. Clearly her girls weren't as oblivious as she had first thought, not that Andréa and her were hiding their, well whatever they were embarking on.

It was inevitable after so many days of rest that the first day of walking would be difficult, but as they stopped for lunch, Douglas made a huge show of pretending to drop dead right in front of Caroline and Cassidy. Miranda watched with a smile on her face as they poked and prodded him and was about to commend his acting skills when he jumped up, grabbed both of them under his arms and ran around the camp with them screaming and laughing hysterically. She felt Andréa's arms wrap around her middle and she sank back into her strong body as they both watched.

"He's almost as good with them as you are," Miranda muttered as she offered Andréa a bit of her granola bar.

"I think the key is immaturity," Andréa laughed, kissing Miranda's cheek.

Miranda didn't reply, but hummed in agreement as the tide turned and the girls managed to wriggle free and pounce on Douglas, tickling him until he called for mercy.

Lunch was a small affair, but filled with conversation and laughter as the group continued to relax around each other. Even Emily was joking around with Miranda, and it made the former editor feel normal.

They all pulled each other to their feet and were back on the road in no time, laughing as Roy, Caroline, Cassidy and Doug attempted to stir them all into a marching song.

"If they keep this up, I'd say you'll have a pair of well seasoned sailors on your hands Miranda," Nigel remarked as they watched Roy try to teach them another marching song.

"Well, as long as they don't feel the need to tell me all the new words they learn, I won't complain," Miranda said with a smirk.

"I'll wager Andy won't be as picky?" Nigel asked, keeping his gaze deliberately forward and not on her.

Miranda thought about her answer, wondering if the others had all nominated Nigel to ask her about her relationship, or whatever it was, or whether this was just Nigel being Nigel.

"No," she said quietly, grinning wickedly as Nigel turned to look at her. "I don't imagine she would."

"So -"

Miranda laughed, noticing absently that Andréa turned around to smile at her as she walked a little in front.

"Are you fishing for information, Mr Kipling?" Miranda asked, embracing the high spirits of the group and deciding that they had all come through enough for her to be able to have a little fun.

"I may be."

"Well, I can tell you this. The word is that Miranda Priestly has found something so precious that she's not likely to let it go."

"Then I'm very happy for you my friend," Nigel said genuinely, stopping her and making her look at him. "I know we've had our ups and downs Miranda, but you really are my best girlfriend."

Miranda laughed and let him cajole her into a hug before pulling away and wrapping an arm around his elbow.

"Well darling, I can safely say that you are mine as well."

They walked arm in arm, reminiscing and joking around like they had done so many years before when neither of them was anything special, when they were just peons, nobodies... and it was magical. Miranda discovered that she'd missed it more than she'd realised as they gossiped about the various fashion weeks, and the models and the designers they used to know. It wasn't until Miranda nearly walked into the back of Emily that they realised the rest of the group had stopped.

"Oof!" Miranda said, grabbing Emily's skinny arms to stop her from falling. "I apologise Emily, but what are you stopping for?" she followed Emily's gaze and saw where they were looking.

"Oh my," she muttered, feeling Nigel's hand tighten on her elbow. "Girls, girls, come here."

Cassidy and Caroline ran to her side, holding onto her around her middle as they all looked down the road at the carnage.

From what little she could see from so far off, Miranda surmised that in the last day or so two cars had collided, at some speed if the debris was to be believed, and one of them had burst into flames. She knew, as did the others, that there would have been no emergency services, no rescue vehicles to help whatever poor sods were in the accident. As she struggled to look away and prevent herself from vomiting, she could only hope they were all gone before the flames had taken hold.

"Alright," Roy said, ushering them off the road and into the trees a little so they weren't in direct line of sight. It didn't matter, they could all see the plume of smoke that was still rising into the sky. "We need to continue on this road. To go around it would take too long, besides which, this scrub isn't really the travelling type," he said, indicating the closed in forest around them. "I think we're going to have to go through it."

"Roy, we can make it through this stuff," Andréa said, looking sideways at Miranda and her two girls. "I'll make sure nobody gets left behind."

"I'm sorry Andy, we're going to have to."

"The girls -" Andréa started, making Miranda's heart clench painfully at how hard she was trying to avoid any heartbreak for her daughters.

"Andy, we'll be okay," Caroline said defiantly.

Miranda sighed and shrugged at Andréa as she looked between the three of them.

"Alright, but I'm carrying one of you and Doug, you can get the other, and I'm not kidding when I say this girls," she said, pulling them in front of her as she knelt down. "You keep your heads on our shoulders and your eyes shut tight, do you understand?"

"Yes Andy."

"Okay Andy," they said in unison.

Miranda noted the sudden tension of the group and she desperately wanted that free feeling they'd had not five minutes ago.

"Alright, come here," Andy said, wrapping her long arms around around Caroline. Cassidy went over to Douglas and wrapped her arms and legs around him tightly, burying her head into his shoulder as her sister did the same.

"Andréa, let me take your pack," Miranda offered, nodding for Nigel to do the same for Douglas.

"If we're all set then I suggest Roy takes us through. I can't imagine putting it off any longer will make us feel any better when we're actually in it," Miranda said, nodding as Roy braced his pack and took Claire's hand again.

"Alright, let's go."

-0-

Andy wanted to cry as they walked in single file through the wreck, but she kept her arms wrapped securely around the girl in her arms, one supporting her weight and the other on the back of her head, making sure that she didn't pop up for a look around before it was safe to.

She had to swallow thickly as they passed by the still smouldering car. She tried not to look but in the end it was inevitable. Even after seeing so much death and destruction while she was overseas, Andy couldn't help but dry heave as she caught sight of the passengers in the car.

Before they had crash-landed in the trees, what felt like so many days ago, Andy could have notched it up as another thing to talk about with her therapist. But now, after rebuilding her friendship with Miranda and both of her sweet girls, Andy couldn't help but draw parallels to the four passengers in the car.

She couldn't stop, and she knew that Doug couldn't either, so she made sure to push him forward, following in Roy's wake as he tried to protect his wife from the horrific spectacle.

Andy felt so torn. For the first time she had more than just herself to worry about. She trusted Doug with her life and she trusted Cassidy's in his hands too. She also trusted Nigel to look after Miranda where she couldn't, and intellectually, she knew she could not be in three places at once.

But it didn't stop her from wanting to be.

Andy and Doug didn't let the girls go until they were well clear of the accident, but in a way, it didn't even matter. They were not stupid girls, and from the tension and ashen faces of their travelling companions, the clearly knew what had happened, or at least, had some idea.

Despite only just stopping for lunch, Roy called a halt in a fairly pleasant sort of clearing around a bend in the road. They could hear nothing but the sound of birds chirping and the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees, but the false idyll couldn't erase what they had seen, what they had experienced.

"Mommy?" Cassidy whispered, leaning against her mother until she was wrapped up in a hug. "I love you, Mommy."

Andy just smiled sadly as Caroline didn't ask, simply plonked herself down in Andy's lap and wrapped her arms around her neck tightly. By now Andy knew Cassidy was the more vocal of the two, and the sweeter. Not to say that Caroline wasn't a sweetheart, but she took after her mother so much more than her sister did. Hence, Cassidy's vocal and obvious call for attention, and Caroline's more demanding one.

"Are you okay, Andy?" Caroline asked softly as she snuggled into the young journalists arms.

"Yeah sweetie, I'm okay," Andy replied quietly, stroking Caroline's hair. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"I feel funny," she confessed. "Like pins and needles, and everyone looks so sad."

"Yeah, we'll probably feel like that for a while, but it's normal. We'll all be fine," Andy said, laying back on the ground and taking Caroline with her. "We've just all got to process it."

Realising that they weren't moving for a while, Caroline nodded and snuggled up to Andy's side, holding on hard to the young woman. Andy held her just as hard, trying not to think of the two small bodies lying there back in that car crash. She finally looked over at Miranda and saw that she was not faring quite as well.

"Roy?" she called, disturbing the man from consoling his wife. "Are we staying for a while?"

"I wouldn't mind getting the hell away from here, but yeah, we'll stay for a little while if that's what everyone would prefer."

"I'd rather go," Miranda coughed. "I would like to be as far away from this place as possible."

Roy nodded and quickly took a count of who wanted to stay and who wanted to go.

"Sorry Andy, the vote is for leaving. Pack up in fifteen and we'll get on out of here."

"No, that's okay, I just wanted to know what was happening," she covered, secretly wishing Miranda would have just taken the break.

They packed up and were soon on the move again. All of them walked in silence, mainly in pairs - Roy and Claire, Serena and Emily, Doug and Nigel - which left Andy walking with the little group she'd come to love as her family.

Miranda had remained stoically quiet since they had left the clearing and Andy was becoming more worried about her with each passing metre. The girls had not let go of their hands and so consequently they were all currently walking in a line, bringing up the rear; Miranda on the left, then Cassidy and Caroline, and Andy on the right.

She desperately wanted to reach out and hold her, but Miranda wouldn't even look her way. It was inevitable that Miranda would see even stronger similarities between the bodies in the car and her own family, but Andy now had the tools to start processing these atrocities. It had been a stark awakening when she had come back from overseas the first time. And then, during her second assignment, there had been a horrific incident involving a child and a backpack that Andy still had nightmares about occasionally. She'd coped admirably, however, or so her therapist said, and had gone back for three more assignments.

Andy knew the look Miranda was wearing better than anyone - she had worn it herself for many, many days. She also knew from the hollow look in everyone's eyes that there would not be much sleep had this night.

-0-

Andy stared up at the stars, tears streaming down her face without check. She wasn't crying as such - she didn't sob anymore - but her eyes often cried, especially at night.

She could hear someone talking quietly to her right, and she wondered who would wake up screaming first. It wasn't a title she wanted any of them to hold, but undoubtedly, somebody would.

"No, no, please, come back, I can't - Help me, someone help me!"

Nigel.

Andy rolled slightly under her blanket to watch as Doug gently woke him up and whispered words that Andy couldn't hear. She smiled, despite the tears still falling from her cheeks. With everyone else paired off, it was bound to happen that the two of them would help each other out. And if her instincts were right, they wouldn't be the odd ones out for much longer.

A moan caught her by surprise as she rolled back towards where she knew Miranda was lying. There was no moon tonight, and Roy had insisted that for now, there was no fire either. Dinner had been a dismal affair because of it, and they had mostly gone to bed without eating.

And now Miranda was thrashing a little in her sleep, her girls in the middle of the group, on her other side to where Andy lay now.

"Shh, Miranda, it's alright, it's just a dream," Andy soothed, stroking the woman's forehead. "I'm right here. No one is going to hurt any of us."

For a moment, Andy thought it was over, until Miranda cried out, as if in the most excruciating pain, waking herself up as her body jerked off the ground and slammed back down again.

"Miranda, shh, it's alright."

"Andréa?"

"Yeah, I'm here, we're all here and we're all fine."

Miranda didn't say anything, instead reached up to cup Andy's cheek, her thumb stroking her cheek bones and finding them damp with tears.

"It's alright, I'm not crying or anything. My eyes do this a lot," Andy explained, mimicking Miranda's actions. "We're all safe Miranda, we're all here."

"Come here," MIranda ordered quietly, pulling Andy closer.

Andy didn't even have time to blink before Miranda yanked her to her side and leaned in to kiss her, missing the first time and getting her upper lip.

"Jesus," she swore, making Andy want to giggle.

The second time was far more accurate.

"Oh God, Miranda!" Andy moaned as Miranda gripped her tightly, yanking the blanket off her, even though Andy was sure she couldn't see a thing.

"I can't, I'm not -" Miranda breathed, panting as she unceremoniously shoved her hands down the back of Andy's sleeping track pants.

"Miranda!"

Andy hissed as those not-so-perfectly-manicured nails dug into her ass and she tussled for a moment, grabbing her arms securely and pulling her face away from Miranda's to look at her.

"I need to feel something else," Miranda sobbed, letting go of Andy's butt and wrapping her arms around her torso instead. Andy felt two vertebrae crack under the pressure.

"Easy," Andy whispered, allowing the pressure and the desperation for a moment, knowing exactly how Miranda was feeling. "I know it feels like it's not right, but it will be. Everything will be okay."

"I keep seeing those little bodies with my babies' faces on them."

"I know," Andy hummed, loosening Miranda's arms a little. "I see that too, but it's not them Miranda, they're right there, right next to you, and they're alright."

"I can't get the smell out of my head. It's stuck to me, it's in me."

"No, it's on your clothes, and it will dissipate with time. I can't say more than I know Miranda, and I know that we'll be alright. Now, tell me what you need from me," Andy coaxed, stroking that signature lock of hair from Miranda's forehead.

"I need you to hold me." Andy heard Miranda clear her throat. "Tightly."

"Alright gorgeous, get into these arms," she replied, smiling as she heard Miranda scoff.

From the motion Andy felt, Miranda sat up for a moment, leaning over to kiss both of her children before settling back down, facing her girls and pulling Andy's arm over her middle and gripping it tightly.

"Thank you," Miranda whispered as Andy shuffled closer and draped the blankets over the both of them.

"You are most welcome," Andy murmured, grinning against Miranda's neck so she knew she was smiling.

"Don't let go."

"I won't."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Firstly, a new chapter, yey. Secondly. I'm a terrible, terrible author. I have no replied to your reviews. Please know that I am reading them, and loving them, but right now I'm feeling pretty awful, so I promise you it will be tomorrow. Promise.**

**Seriously.**

**As always, I am greatly indebted to my awesome beta, who is awesome! Hope you're all still enjoying it. Please continue to leave reviews, even though I'm a terrible replier this month...because I love reading them and I promise you I will reply. **

-0-

Miranda didn't know how long they'd walked, but it felt like weeks rather than days. The tension that had appeared during their atrocious walk past the scene of the accident had not abated. If anything it had become worse as they trudged on, and on, past roads and fields and the most picturesque scenes of rivers, lakes, forests and wildlife that sadly none of them cared about.

Her children had become more clingy as the adults of the group started lashing out at each other. If it wasn't for Roy pushing them, Miranda was sure they would have given up days ago. Roy was obviously handling it best, and surprisingly, though Miranda couldn't be completely sure, the next person seemed to be Emily. Miranda couldn't help a derisive snort - clearly working for the Devil in Prada had prepared her for anything.

Andréa, despite her stalwart efforts during the first day or so, had become withdrawn and moody. There was no more laughter, no smiles and even Douglas had given up talking to her. They had, unfortunately, had a massive argument that very morning over a pair of socks - of all things - and despite everyone knowing it was the two of them blowing off steam, it had become so heated that Roy had to drag them away from each other, while Miranda ushered the girls away.

Her girls.

They were so beautiful, going out of their way to make sure Miranda was comfortable and happy, and had everything she needed. Cassidy, the little cherub, had offered up her Game Boy when they settled down for the night. Caroline's had run out of battery seeing as they were playing on hers the most during the lunch breaks. They stood there holding out the little machine with such hope in their eyes Miranda couldn't bring herself to say no. The evening had been quiet, everyone laying down without ceremony and avoiding each other as Miranda sat up with her twins, leaning against a rock and letting them teach her the finer points of Mario Kart.

Andréa had huffed a few times, rolling over and over until Miranda tucked her babies down to sleep and lay down herself. It wasn't discussed, but despite Andréa's withdrawal, she always gravitated to Miranda's side, pulling her into her chest almost possessively. Miranda wasn't going to pull away. They both definitely slept better when they were lying in each other's arms and Miranda could only hope that soon Andréa would pull herself out of this funk.

"Alright, I've had enough," Roy said, pulling Miranda out of her head. She blinked, looking around in confusion as Roy pulled them up and pointed to a mark on the map that Miranda couldn't see without her glasses. "There's a farmhouse just here. We need to get some proper sleep, and we need some down time. We'll make camp there, it won't take us too far off course."

Miranda adjusted the straps on her pack and winked down at Caroline as she slipped her hand into hers.

"Will it be better once we get to the farm Mom?" Caroline asked quietly, looking sideways at Andréa.

"Oh, I think so sweetheart," Miranda said, taking the opportunity to crouch down in front of her eldest. "These things take time, and sometimes people get caught in their thoughts more than others."

"Cassidy said she's going to leave us," Caroline admitted, her bottom lip trembling a little as she looked up at Miranda with those blue eyes so similar to her own.

"Caroline?"

Miranda looked up in surprise at the voice and found the woman she had fallen in love with looking down at them, her hand in Cassidy's who looked happier than she'd seen in days.

"Caroline, do you remember when I told you I would never leave any of you behind, that nobody would leave anyone behind?"

"I guess," Caroline replied, with a glint in her eye that made Miranda want to smile. Clearly the twins had engineered this moment and Miranda had never been so proud of them as she was in this moment.

"Caroline, I -" Andréa sighed. "I love you guys, I'm so sorry I haven't been in the best of moods."

"That's okay Andy, as long as you're back now," Cassidy said, smiling as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

"I'm going to try and get back to normal guys," Andréa grinned, poking Caroline in the belly gently and accepting them both in her arms.

They got under way, Miranda watching with unabashed glee as Andréa played with the girls, laughing and pushing and causing a general ruckus that Miranda would usually have hated. To see them so relaxed and happy - all three of her girls - she couldn't bring herself to feel one iota of annoyance at their playfighting. Tonight, they'd all get some proper food and sleep, and tomorrow would be a new day.

When they finally got to the farmhouse, they spread out, checking behind doors and buildings to make sure they were alone. There were no signs of life, and apparently hadn't been for a while. They all hung back while Roy and Nigel crept into the house, collectively breathing a sigh of relief as Roy waved them in through the door.

"It's not going to be as nice as the last place, but we should be alright for one or two nights," Roy said, recoiling as he opened the fridge. "They power is on, but I think we'll be lucky to find anything fresh to eat. Nigel, take Miranda and check in the outbuildings and see if there's a freezer or something? It would be unusual for them not to store other food somewhere else. Andy, I noticed there was a garden of some sort just around the side, take the girls and see if there's anything of use to us in there. Serena, Emily, Claire, you guys are in charge of checking upstairs for things we can use. Doug, you're with me."

Everyone broke off to do as they were ordered, all with a spring in their step at the prospect of a good meal after so many days of meager rations of tinned food.

"How are you doing Miranda?" Nigel asked carefully as they walked over to the barn.

"I," she paused, even though she kept step with Nigel. "Honestly? I am struggling with the nightmares, but I am fine. And you Nigel?" she asked, glancing sideways at him. "How are you?"

"I'm alright," he said with a shrug. "I, I wasn't sure how to tell you, but Doug and I, we're, I don't know, exploring possibilities."

Miranda couldn't help but stop and pull him into a hug, surprising both of them at her free and easy show of affection.

"I did say you were my best girlfriend," she told him with a chuckle. He laughed.

"And you are mine as well," he nodded, pulling her into the barn. "I wasn't sure how you and Andy were doing, so I didn't tell you straight away. You both looked a bit tense there for a while."

"I think Andréa and I were a bit tense for a while," Miranda agreed. "But apparently my darling twins decided that they'd had enough and yanked her out of her mood so fast she could do nothing but surrender."

"They always did take after you," Nigel chuckled as they reached their destination. "Jackpot!"

"Mm, it would seem that I may actually get a good steak tonight," Miranda said, holding up her prize. "In fact, we could all eat very well tonight. A good protein meal will do us the world of good."

"If you say so, Ma'am," Nigel said, yanking out a few more steaks and a whole chicken. "This is going to be so good."

"It's funny the things you take for granted, isn't it?" he said quietly as they ambled back to the house. "I woke up this morning finding myself wanting a banana of all things. I don't even like bananas that much, but that is what I wanted," he mused.

Miranda chuckled and shifted her grip on the steaks, letting the ice burn her fingers a little.

"I find myself wishing for popcorn," Miranda said with a shrug. "It is one of my favourite things," she confessed, feeling herself blush just a little. "The girls and I often share a bowl on Sunday afternoons when I am done with work, and they are done with homework."

"Well, we're not going to be here forever Miranda. I'm sure there will be bananas and popcorn at Andy's grandparent's place."

"Indeed there will," Miranda said, wondering what the cost would be to have those things once more.

She was not completely oblivious; she had looked at the map with all the critique of a Runway layout. It was still a very long way to the border, and she knew it would take longer than any of them wanted. Roy, dear Roy, was doing an admirable job keeping their spirits high, and she thanked every deity she knew for having the courage to admit her familial feelings to every one of the people she now shared an unbreakable bond with.

She was quite sure they would never leave her, and she would never leave them. The conviction in Andréa's eyes was enough to allay her immediate fears, but as she thought about the relationships she'd built with the others, or rather, the relationships she'd built on, and repaired, she realised they would never leave each other, not now. Nothing was certain, of course, but there would surely never be too much space between their little band of travellers.

"Hey."

Miranda looked up, blinking in surprise and dropping a steak.

"Whoa, are you feeling alright?" Andréa asked, bending to pick up the meat.

"Yes, I'm fine," Miranda responded with a smile. "You startled me is all."

"Sorry," Andréa shrugged, taking the frozen packages off her. "Wow, is this steak? Bet you're in a good mood, aren't you?" she joked, nudging her with a shoulder.

Miranda chuckled, noting absently that nobody seemed surprised to see her do so anymore. That could only mean that she was laughing more often, something she was pleased about. With no Runway, no Irv, no annoying reporters hounding her every move, she was able to relax. Without ever realising it, and despite the fact that they were anything but, Miranda had never felt safer than at this moment.

"What?" Miranda asked, coming back to herself and staring at Andréa, who was looking at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Miranda, are you alright?" Andréa whispered, pulling her from the kitchen and into the hallway.

"I, I am not normally a person that takes delight in sharing her deepest darkest secrets, Andréa." She cupped the younger woman's cheek, feeling elated to see that little spark back in those gorgeous brown eyes. "But I will, if only to allay your fears. I am fine, although I find myself thoughtful after realising that I have changed so much since starting this journey with everyone," she paused, tucking a strand of Andréa's hair back before continuing, "with you."

"Miranda, I -"

"Let me finish," Miranda said without the bite she would have put into it had she still been Miranda Priestly, Editor-in-Chief of Runway. "I feel safer, freer and more relaxed these days. I even laugh Andréa; I haven't laughed so freely since before the twins were born, and you," she sighed, "you are the reason for that, just as you are the reason that the twins are so relaxed and happy, despite our somewhat distasteful situation."

"Miranda, I love you."

Miranda's breath caught in her throat and she struggled to draw breath as she stared into Andréa's eyes, looking for any hint of misguidance, or misplaced pity.

There was none.

"Oh, my darling Andréa. I -"

"Mom! Mom! Look what we found!"

Miranda jerked back, already irritated by yet another interruption.

"Girls, wait a moment, I have to talk to Andréa." She turned to see the woman already in conversation with Nigel and Douglas, while rifling through a basket of what looked like fresh vegetables.

"Andy's talking to Doug Mom, check out what we have! Potatoes! Can you make your mashed potatoes for us?"

"Well, I can certainly try sweethearts, but there will be no milk or cheese."

"That's okay, really," Caroline said tugging on her mother's arm. "But please Mom, please?"

Miranda looked down at the two angelic faces staring up at her, and couldn't help but bend down and kiss them both sloppily on their cheeks.

"Of course I can. How about you two go and check who else wants mash and who wants a baked potato."

They whooped and hollered as they ran out of the room to the others, leaving Miranda standing watching Andréa's amazingly beautiful form, leaning over the kitchen table. The time was coming closer when she would not care if they were interrupted, but for now she was content to stare at those long legs and delishly round backside.

It startled her how easy it was to find Andréa attractive. She had been around models all her life, some of the most beautiful and perfectly formed women on the globe, but none of them had ever captured Miranda as Andréa had done. And though women had never held her fancy before, neither had the men - which Miranda found odd. Surely, if one didn't find women attractive, one would find the opposite sex attractive instead, but even though her first husband, the twin's father, was easy on the eyes, she had never felt the same longing in her body as she did when she looked at Andréa.

As if called by her raging hormones, Andréa turned her head slightly, catching Miranda checking out her backside. Miranda looked away immediately, feeling her face heat up having been caught ogling like a common man, but when she felt gentle fingers under her chin, she let them guide her face back to Andréa's where she got lost in a kiss that made her toes curl.

"I don't mind you looking," Andréa whispered quietly in her ear as her lips made their own path away from Miranda's mouth and towards her neck. "I don't know if you've noticed me walking behind you," she chuckled. "I always loved that part of my job the best, staying two steps behind you, so I could watch your ass in those amazing skirts you wore. And then when you wore stockings as well, the ones with the seam down the back, oh Miranda, you don't know what that did to me," Andréa hissed, nibbling on Miranda's earlobe.

"Andréa, we can't, there are, everyone is here."

"I know beautiful, but I swear to you, I won't wait too long." She pulled back and looked straight into Miranda's eyes, sharing with her a look that made all the moisture head due south in an instant. "I will have you soon."

"For the first time in my life, I, I feel," Miranda felt her whole face heat up and couldn't meet Andréa's eye, "I feel as though I cannot wait for that moment."

"Good," Andréa whispered, reaching around and squeezing the globes of Miranda's backside almost possessively.

"Andréa!" Miranda hissed, unable to do anything but watch as her soon-to-be-lover walked away.

"Mom?"

Miranda shook her head at the many directions she could be pulled in in such a small amount of time. She patted Serena's shoulder as she walked past, not even registering how out of character it really was. She got started on peeling the potatoes for dinner that the twins had found after raiding the little garden for as many as they could find.

"Can I help Mommy?" Cassidy asked so sweetly that Miranda couldn't refuse.

"Of course Bobbsey, go and wash your hands and then you can come and help."

"What about me?" Caroline huffed, stomping her foot childishly.

"Why the tantrum?" Andréa said, making Cassidy giggle and Caroline growl. "Why don't you come and help me and Roy build a fire. He has found a small little sheltered area where we could have one and not make it too obvious."

"Can I Mom?" Caroline asked, breaking out of her little snit immediately.

"Of course, but you heed Andréa's advice though, do you understand me? Fire is a dangerous thing and we are a long way away from a working hospital."

"Yes Mom," Caroline said, high-fiving Andréa and following her out of the back door like a gambolling puppy.

Miranda turned back to see Cassidy rolling up her sleeves and holding out her hands for inspection. They hadn't done this since Cassidy was about four and Miranda grinned at her youngest as she grabbed them both, rubbing her nose on the palms of her hands and then, when she smelled the scent of the soap, kissed them repeatedly over and over again, making Cassidy squirm and giggle uncontrollably.

"They're clean Mom, I promise," she said at last, still laughing a bit.

"Good, hop up here with me then," Miranda said, pulling across one of the chairs that was not already occupied by people preparing vegetables or dessert before helping Cassidy kneel on it in front of her.

"Will you help me?" Cassidy asked, looking up at her mother. "Like we used to do?"

"Of course," Miranda said, taking Cassidy's hands in her own and started peeling the potatoes. Knowing that Cassidy was more than capable, Miranda was content to rest her hands on Cassidy's forearms, leaning down to press a kiss on the crown of her head, smelling the unique scent that was her youngest baby.

"Mom?" Cassidy said, looking up with a smile. "Will you tell me about when I was born?"

"What? Why would you want to know about that?" Miranda said asked, feeling a little shocked at the question.

"I dunno, just want to I guess," Cassidy shrugged. "Please?"

Miranda nodded and removed her hands from Cassidy's arms, instead wrapping them around the small body, revelling in the time she could spend with her daughter that she otherwise would not have time for.

"You, my darling love, were forty minutes and thirty seven seconds behind your sister," she began quietly, glaring at anyone who appeared to be listening in. "Caroline was born as she acts today, straight away, and with minimal fuss, but you my love, you weren't quite ready to come out yet."

The potatoes were soon forgotten as Cassidy leaned back against Miranda's chest, hanging onto her arms that were still wrapped securely around her middle. "You let Mommy have a rest after Caroline's whirlwind birth, and then, you still didn't want to come out and meet me."

"What happened?"

"Well the doctors thought that maybe you weren't feeling very well, but I thought I knew my baby better than any doctor," she whispered, running her hands through Cassidy's free-flowing hair. "I knew you would come when you were ready, so I told them they could just wait. And then I felt I had to push, and you came along, but the doctors were right. You were smaller than Caroline and weren't breathing that well. But then they handed you to me, and we had our first family cuddle - you, Caroline and I - and you reached out and wrapped your hand around my finger for the very first time. Your other hand went out to Caroline, and you got better so quickly the doctors were astounded," she said, blinking away a tear as she remembered those precious moments. "You were my miracle baby."

"I love you Mommy," Cassidy whispered, turning and wrapping her arms around Miranda's chest and snuggling into her.

"I love you too, sweetheart. Now let's get these potatoes peeled so that we can have some mash with our steaks."

"'Kay."

It was just another example of how much Miranda appreciated the time she'd been given to enjoy with her babies. Caroline was far more like Miranda, and didn't often get sentimental about anything, but to have the opportunity, however 'public', to talk to Cassidy about something that had previously never been mentioned meant more to Miranda than it had ever done so before. She kissed her youngest once more and got stuck into peeling those potatoes, thinking ruefully that now her nails were ruined there was no point worrying about how they'd look after her 'hard labour'.

-0-

The fire was roaring by the time Andy had delivered all the food to it's side. The boys had managed to find quite a good number of outdoor chairs and loungers, and had set them up accordingly complete with a small table where most of the food was being laid out. The steaks were resting and the salad was prepared. All they were waiting for was the aptly titled 'Miranda's Miraculous Mash'.

The older woman had given a baleful stare at the moniker, but said nothing after Cassidy giggled. Andy had never been more sure of anything when Emily commented quietly after they were away from earshot that the 'ice queen' had melted.

"Don't be too hard on her Em, she's done so well letting us all see the real her," Andy replied, a little upset that Emily would still be holding some sort of grudge.

"No, Andy I didn't mean it like that," Emily hurriedly apologised. "I know you and she are close, I, I guess I was just commenting on how different she is with all of us, to how she was before."

"It's because she trusts us," Andy shrugged. "But if she thinks we're talking behind her back, she's just going to clam back up again, so watch what you say, alright?"

"Shan't," Emily said with a wicked smile, making Andy grin too.

"You're a crazy lady,Emily Charlton," Andy said, squeezing her shoulder. "Serena can have you."

"Yes she can," Emily practically purred, making Andy blush.

"Damn, girl!"

They were interrupted as Miranda and the twins appeared with the biggest bowl of mashed potatoes Andy had ever seen, along with some sauces and garnishes that Andy couldn't wait to taste.

"Gosh you guys, this looks fabulous," Andy said, hugging both girls. "You all did amazingly well."

The girls thanked her in stereo, not waiting around as they grabbed what food they could, settling down on a lounger together and tucking in before anyone could say boo. The adults laughed at their antics and followed suit, leaving Andy and Miranda waiting a little to the side.

"And what about me Andréa, don't you think I deserve some credit?" Miranda joked, making Andy laugh.

"Is Miranda Priestly fishing for compliments?" Andy asked, grabbing Miranda's hand and linking their fingers together.

"I am merely making sure that proper thanks go to the proper people."

"Ah, well, I was hoping to thank you quite differently later, once the girls went to sleep, but if you'd prefer the same thanks as they got, I'm more than happy to do so here?" Andy said, wrapping Miranda up in a full body hug and rocking from side to side.

"Will you take me to bed Andréa, once the children are asleep? Will you take me away from here and love me?"

Andy leaned back, looking straight into Miranda's eyes as she tried to work out if the woman was being serious.

"Honey? You and I are going to knock the world off it's axis!" Andy declared with a grin.

"That's something I'm interested to know whether you live up to," Miranda winked, pinching Andy's butt and walking away.

"Hey!" Andy squealed, rubbing the sore patch. "I'll get you back for that."

"Oi, come and get your steak before it goes cold," Doug called, pointing at the two remaining steaks on the table. "You can cause a ruckus later."

Even in the firelight, Andy could see Miranda's neck go a bit pink and she wrapped an arm around her middle, kissing her cheek.

"Don't worry about Doug, he has all the subtlety of a B-52 bomber, but he loves me and he likes you, so there's nothing to worry about."

Miranda nodded once but smiled, and Andy felt the tension leave her body.

Dinner was heavenly. Everyone sang Miranda and the twins' praises for their mashed potatoes, and the noise that came from Miranda when she took a bite of her steak was enough to make Andy moan in response. Apparently, sitting together on the remaining lounger was not that great an idea while Miranda was having a food-gasm, and Andy couldn't help but squirm a bit throughout the whole meal.

It didn't take long for the warmth of the crackling fire and the full bellies of the twins to lull them to sleep, and after carrying them both to bed, Andy and Miranda returned to the fire, settling down together on the same lounger, with Miranda and Andy matching Serena and Emily's pose - Andy sitting against the back with Miranda between her legs, resting against her chest.

"This is glorious," Emily sighed as Serena held her tight. "I don't know about you, but despite tonight this whole survival thing is getting old."

"I would rather be surviving," Nigel said diplomatically.

"Well, yes, of course, I just meant -"

"It's alright Em, we know," Roy said with a smile. "It certainly is nice to sit here though," he said, pulling Claire onto his knee just as she walked past. "After so long walking and moving and carrying on, this is going to do us the world of good."

"I agree," Miranda said sleepily.

"Do you miss it, Miranda? The rush, the hustle and bustle of the city? Do you miss bossing people around?"

Trust Doug to ruin the mood.

Andy let her head drop back against the seat while giving Doug the full glare she had learnt from the woman who had sat up stiffly and was now pulling away from her arms.

"I cannot say that I do," Miranda said quietly, getting up. "Excuse me."

"Did you have to do that?" Andy said accusingly. "Why would you ask that?"

"I just thought -"

"No Dougie, you didn't, you didn't think at all."

Andy got up to chase after Miranda, hearing Nigel lay into Doug a little more as she moved away from the group, following where her woman went, as she would forever more.

She found Miranda eventually, looking out across the fields in the moonlight, one leg up on the big wooden fence, looking every inch a farmhand in her Stetson.

"Hey Cowgirl, come here often?" Andy joked, leaning against the fence and looking at Miranda, rather than the view.

"Who am I, Andréa?" Miranda whispered, remaining rigid in her stance.

Andy chuckled, moving over to her and wrapping her arms around her middle, hooking her chin on Miranda's shoulder.

"You are Miranda Priestly, once amazing Editor-in-Chief of Runway magazine, but, now, and perhaps most importantly, you are Miranda - mother of two of the most amazing girls, epic walker, first-aider, survivor." Andy took a deep breath, loving the scent of Miranda mixed in with the earth, the night and the moonlight. "And you're the woman who holds my heart."

"You almost make me sound noble," Miranda said, clearly choosing to ignore the latter statement.

"Well, I couldn't love someone who was fickle, Miranda."

Miranda turned in Andy's arms, letting her back lean against the fence while she ran her hands up from Andy's elbows to her shoulders.

"You shouldn't love me, Andréa," Miranda whispered sadly. "You can't love me."

"I thought we'd discussed this," Andy said, bending a little to meet Miranda's eye. "I love you. And there's not a damn thing you can say, or do to change that."

"I'm old, Andréa, the oldest one here."

"So?" Andy said, trying to comprehend the meaning behind Miranda's words.

"I am the least likely to make it out of this Godforsaken part of the country."

Andy laughed, she couldn't help it but Miranda pulled herself from her arms and stalked away.

"Bullshit Miranda," Andy said, stopping her in her tracks. "You're the fittest one of us here, except for Roy. I'm pretty sure he's Bear Grylls in disguise, but -"

"Andréa, I'm serious," Miranda pouted.

"So am I," Andy retorted, grabbing Miranda around the middle and pulling her back against her body. "For an intelligent person my dear, you are being really rather stupid. I will not let anything happen to you, or your children." She pressed a kiss against Miranda's throat, tipping her head to avoid knocking off the hat she found so sexy on that snow white hair.

"You shouldn't, I'm certainly not worth it," Miranda whispered.

Andy spun her around in her arms, poking the hat so she could see Miranda's face.

"I'll show you how much you mean to me, then maybe you'll believe me when I tell you that you are the most perfect thing in my life," she promised, leaning in to kiss her again.

The kiss started off slowly, until Miranda nipped at Andy's bottom lip which set off a growl deep within Andy's chest that made her want to ravish Miranda right there, leaning up against the fencepost. Andy felt like her body was winding up, like someone was twisting her stomach tighter and tighter as she felt Miranda's hands suddenly enter her shirt, running over her stomach and around her back, her nails scoring a path down her spine that made her moan out loud.

Andy combed her fingers through Miranda's hair, her hat having fallen off some time ago, messing the slightly longer locks and exploring every inch of Miranda's mouth with her tongue.

"God Andréa!" Miranda hissed as Andy bit down on her neck in an effort to calm her heart.

"You taste so good," Andy breathed, using her tongue to map the tendons on Miranda's neck.

"SHIT!"

Andy wasn't sure what happened, but somehow she ended up on the floor, staring up at Miranda, who looked as equally horrified as Emily did standing there glancing nervously between them.

"I'm so sorry!" Emily said, looking pained. "I just, I mean, I -" She sighed, not unlike the way she used to when she was at Runway and held up a roll of toilet paper, immediately breaking any tension in the air when Miranda giggled quietly, building and building until she was doubled over with laughter until she remembered to extend her arm for Andy to use to stand up.

"I am not going to say it's alright, Emily," Miranda said, still unable to wipe the smile off her face. "But I cannot begrudge you wishing a little privacy."

"The plumbing isn't working," Emily said awkwardly, still looking at the ground.

"Don't worry about it, Em," Andy said, slipping her hand into Miranda's, knowing that despite her good natured reply she was feeling every bit as disappointed as Andy was right now.

"Well yes, goodnight then," Emily said, walking away from them quicker than she had ever walked before.

"I am getting sick of being interrupted," Miranda growled once Emily was out of earshot. "Not that I blame her, I just, I -" She tailed off and looked beseechingly at Andy, who shrugged and bent down to retrieve Miranda's hat.

"I know," Andy said simply, brushing off the dirt and placing it back on her girlfriend's head. "There, perfect," she declared, leaning in for a far more gentle kiss than they had just shared.

"I think it's time for bed," Miranda said sadly.

"Hey, it's not over, we're going to find some time together, even if I have to tell someone to get lost and make sure the others do too," Andy said, cupping Miranda's cheek. "We'll have our night together. I promise you that."

Miranda didn't say anything and let Andy lead her back to the fire, calling goodnight to everyone before heading into the house to get some rest. They were due to be on the last watch of the night together, so they would take as much sleep as they could before they were woken.

"I, I'm sorry I haven't said it yet," Miranda whispered as they sank into the devilishly comfortable king sized bed with the twins cuddle up on the other side. "It's not that I don't -"

Andy placed her finger over Miranda's lips and kissed her nose, making her blink owlishly in the dark.

"I didn't say it so you would say it back, Miranda," Andy replied quietly, pausing as Caroline rolled over and plastered herself to Miranda's back, making them both chuckle. "I love you, and I'm okay saying that to you, and I can't wait for you to feel comfortable enough to say it back to me, but I can wait." She sighed, kissing Miranda's lips in earnest, but without the heat of earlier. "I have waited so long to be with you, and now, I'm with you. You can take as long as you like, as long as you keep showing me it's so."

"I do?" Miranda asked, looking a little shocked. "You seem to be able to read me far better than anyone else I've ever met, aside from my girls."

"That's the benefit of being your assistant, and then falling in love with you. Once I realised how I felt, I needed to know everything about you and so I watched you. I watched you talk to people, listened to you on the phone, and I studied you so much in order to know what you were thinking and what you were feeling. The girls helped," Andy confessed as Miranda's eyebrows rose. "They'd give me pointers, letting me know how you were when you got home, and I could attribute your mood to whatever had happened over the day."

"You love me," Miranda said, as if it was a new revelation.

"Yeah honey, I do," Andy said, pulling her closer and kissing her temple. "Let's get some shut eye so we're ready for watch duty later."

"Good night," Miranda paused, "darling."

"Goodnight love," Andy whispered finally, letting her eyes close as she listened to the sounds of her family breathing.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I have just realised I haven't posted this on ff yet. Sorry! Here is chapter 11. Things are getting just a wee bit more tense as our wonderful family continues their journey. Hang onto your seats, cos it may get worse before it gets better. Or it won't. I'm not one to spoil things ;)**

**My beta is a legend, and we loves her. Thanks honey :D**

-0-

It felt like Andy had been asleep for mere seconds when someone shook her awake. She blinked, looking up at Roy's wide eyes and the rifle in his hands.

"Get up, there's someone coming. Everyone grab their gear and get outside, now!"

"What? I don't understand, what's going on?" Andy grumbled, rubbing her eyes and noticing that there were others running past their door.

"Andy, get up. There are people coming. Two or three vehicles. We have to go."

It dawned on Andy suddenly that they were in very real danger.

"Shit! Miranda get up; girls, grab your gear," she instructed as Roy ran from the room. "MIRANDA!"

"Andréa, what the hell are you doing?" she asked, around a yawn.

"Miranda, we have to go, we've got company."

Miranda's eyes widened almost comically as she realised what Andy meant.

"Girls, up now," she ordered, her Runway voice making the first appearance it had in some time. The girls clearly knew that tone well enough to practically fall out of bed, still dressed in their flannel pyjamas and grab their bags and their Game Boys from the wall.

"Girls, leave them, just go," Andy said, pulling on her sweater and her bag.

There was no way she was leaving the room before the other three, so she helped Miranda as much as she could, dropping the boots they'd finally found in her size on the floor and kneeling to help her put them on.

"Andy!" Roy called from downstairs. "Get a move on!"

"Girls, go downstairs," Andy demanded, pushing Cassidy through the door when it looked like she was going to argue.

"But, Andy, my -"

"Now Cassidy!" Andy barked, pushing her out of the door before turning to look at their mother. "Miranda, hurry," Andy said, noticing one of the girl's Game Boys on the bed and putting it in her pocket before joining the others.

They ran through the yard - the lights of the vehicles now close enough to make Andy shiver. They met the rest of their party in the copse where their bonfire from earlier was still smouldering, finding Doug and Nigel pouring buckets of water and kicking sand over it in an effort to stop it from giving them away.

"Leave it," Roy said, leading them through the trees to the fence line behind the little clump of vegetation.

Andy ushered the girls as quickly as their tired legs would carry them as they all paused by a ridge in the field, crouching low so they wouldn't be seen.

"Everyone keep low, don't stop, no matter what you hear," Roy instructed, nodding to Doug who stepped up and took both Roy's and Andy's packs, hefting one onto his shoulders and then giving the other to Serena. Nigel took Miranda's hand suddenly, looking at her awkwardly and leaving Andy to fill in the blanks before Roy spoke again. "Andy, you're with me."

"No!" Miranda exclaimed, echoed by the twins.

"Miranda, I'll be fine. Take the girls, we'll meet up with you."

"No, absolutely not, I will not allow it," she hissed, glaring at Andy when she went to speak again. "Don't you dare argue with me."

"Miranda," Andy sighed, looking beseechingly at her lover.

"I can't -"

"Go," Andy said, leaning forward for a kiss. "We'll meet you later."

"Andy?" Cassidy said, the moonlight reflecting off her tears.

"Hey, I'll be right behind you, go with your Mom. Claire, Em?" Andy said, hugging both of them, and passing the twins off.

"You better come back to me," Miranda said, pulling her hand from Nigel's and dragging Andy in for the most profound kiss of her life.

"I love you," Andy whispered, smiling as Roy and Claire whispered the same thing. "Go."

Andy waited as long as she could, watching her family disappear down the little gully and out of sight.

"We'll see them again," Roy said assuringly, pulling her back towards the house.

Andy could do nothing but follow, while sending a silent prayer to whomever was listening that Roy wasn't lying.

Unencumbered by their packs, Roy and Andy crept back towards the house. Roy pulled her behind a pile of firewood, indicating for her to be quiet while they listened for the intruders. Roy put his hand out to steady her as they peeked over the woodpile and took in the situation. The intruders were larger in number than their own group, and Andy immediately realised by how little gear they had with them that they weren't travelling, rather, situated somewhere close by, allowing them to merely pillage local farms and houses. It also didn't help the cold sweat on her skin when she noticed they were all carrying high powered rifles, semi-automatics and machetes.

The two cars that they had been travelling in were left running in the driveway, and Andy knew that they were the reason they'd stayed.

"There's someone here!"

Andy cringed as the cry went up, knowing that they had been rumbled. Roy leaned closer to her, keeping low, but also making sure he could still watch the group closely.

"We need to lead them in the opposite direction," he whispered. "We'll lead them off that way, and then double back for the blue vehicle."

Andy glanced over at the two cars, making sure she knew which truck was which. Roy had chosen well. She couldn't tell what make or model it was, but the truck, with a large sheltered tray on the back, would suit them nicely.

"With any luck, we'll have enough gas to get us three times as far in a third of the time."

"So what's the plan?" Andy asked, watching a man move away from the group and start scouting the yard.

"Well, I figure we pretend we're running away, make a bit of noise and get them to follow us," Roy said with a shrug. "This many guns, that's going to be dangerous, but we should be alright if we keep low, and with a bit of luck, keep our feet."

"Alright, say the word chief and I'm right behind you."

Roy nodded, taking Andy's hand in his and pulling her close.

"Make it look like we're creeping. I'll take care of the distraction, you just stay on your feet."

Andy's heart was thumping so hard she was sure that the men were going to hear it before they were ready, but she took a deep breath and concentrated hard on imaging Miranda waiting for her, flanked by the kids. She would make it back, she had to. After all, she had plans for taking Miranda to bed.

"Let's go," Roy said, nodding his head and pulling her with him.

Her palms were sweaty, and as they crept away from the woodpile, Roy purposefully knocked a few logs down as they stepped away.

"Oi!"

They didn't stop to turn around, instead Roy pulled her along as they ran for their lives.

And then the pops started.

"Andy, faster!" Roy called, pushing her to the side as a tree in front of them spewed bark from it's trunk, showering them in splinters and dirt.

Andy didn't know whether she was breathing anymore as Roy just grabbed her arm, driving her onwards, and directing her where she needed to go.

The shouts got a little farther away as Roy pushed her just that bit faster, until he stopped abruptly and pushed her down an embankment, rolling in after her and covering her mouth.

"Shh, breathe through your nose, make it quiet. Deep breaths, but slow," he whispered, showing her how to breathe in silence. She followed his lead, letting the adrenaline work through her body, staying tense when they heard their pursuers come to a halt not far from where they were lying.

Roy hastily grabbed handfuls of leaf litter, dumping it over the top of them before holding Andy still once more.

The startling horror of how much danger she was in suddenly took Andy back to the last time she had nearly died - her second assignment overseas.

She'd been writing a piece on a school program in a tiny little town out of the main warzones other reporters were covering. The kids had been beautiful, and the people running the program were so calm and collected, Andy couldn't help but admire them. Her articles had won her the admiration of so many people, but it had cost her the temporary loss of her sanity, and her confidence. The school program had been going so well and in particular was helping so many girls she knew it would be hard to leave them.

And then a father had strapped a backpack full of explosives to his child and sent him off to school.

The Hummer she and her team had been designated had blown a tire on the way to the school, and so Andy had, thankfully, not been there when the explosion had occurred. But they'd seen it from their vehicle and had ran the rest of the way. Everyone at the school had died, some of them hanging on for a day or two, but eventually succumbing to their injuries. Days, weeks and months of therapy had helped her to move past it, even going back again and again to write the piece that had ultimately saved all of their lives.

Now worlds away lying in the cold, damp loam, Andy found herself in a similar situation as she heard the men spread out, searching for them noisily. Roy's hand was gripping hers so tightly that she'd be surprised if she came away without any bruises. A quick squeeze made her hold her breath as one man walked to the top of the incline, looking out over the field behind them.

"They're not here, keep going!" Someone to their left suddenly called, making the men move away.

Roy took his hand from her mouth, indicating that she should remain silent until they knew that the coast was clear. She nodded and slowly they crawled up the embankment.

It clearly didn't matter how long it had been since Roy had served. Andy could tell by the way that he moved and by how quiet he was, that clearly his training was something he could always rely on. He helped her over the crest and they slid back down to the forest floor, crouching as Roy surveyed the area.

"Okay, we're going back that way, then parallel to the road," he said, taking hold of her hand again. "Let's go."

Whoever was chasing them had disappeared, and instead of making Andy feel safe, she had this awful feeling in the back of her mind.

"Psst!"

Andy turned around, finding herself looking straight down the barrel of a hunting rifle.

Her brain stopped, her heart ceased beating as she lifted her gaze to meet the eyes of the person holding onto the other end of the gun.

She was dead.

She knew she was. It was clichéd, but it was in that moment that she saw all the things in her life that she loved; Miranda, the girls, their motley crew. She saw her parents and her grandparents, waiting in vain for her to arrive at their final destination. She saw her life on fast forward, and she saw the man, looking at her in confusion. He was a big guy, taller than Roy with blonde hair, grey eyes and terribly crooked teeth. Andy wondered why she was taking note of his features when she could be imagining Miranda as her life ebbed away.

And then he fell away from her.

She gasped, feeling around her chest for the bullet wound and falling to her knees.

"Andy? Andy!"

She could hear her name being called, and even though she'd didn't believe in "God" per se, she knew it was him, calling her home.

"ANDY!"

"Ow!" she squealed.

Someone had slapped her hard across the face. She looked up, already curling her fist up to thump them when she realised Roy was standing over her, looking a little frazzled.

"Roy? Jeez, what the hell are you doing?"

"I -" He shrugged and pointed towards Andy's gunman, who was lying absolutely still on the ground. Andy's eyes widened as she saw the blood seeping out from his neck, and she turned, suddenly feeling her dinner coming back up her throat.

"No, no, deep breaths Andy, deep breaths," Roy said, bodily picking her up and rubbing her back. "It's alright, it was you or him, and well -" Andy glanced at him as he shrugged again. "Miranda would have killed me, so it was fair."

She couldn't help it, she laughed. Hysterically.

"Come on sweetheart," Roy said dragging her along. "We're not out of the woods yet, the house should be back this way."

Andy was still chuckling, no doubt out of shock when the house came back into view. As luck would have it, they'd beaten their followers back, and there was only two guards that they could see.

"Andy, I need you to stay here and keep an eye out for me, alright?" Roy spoke so slowly Andy felt like an idiot, but she figured she'd been acting like one too, so she merely nodded, trying to control the insane beat of her heart. "Anything happens I want you to whistle."

He disappeared into the night before Andy remembered that she couldn't whistle.

-0-

Miranda Priestly didn't jog.

In fact, she hadn't ran anywhere since her school days, but she thanked her personal trainer Gwen every single step she took as she held onto her girls and jogged behind the others.

"We're nearly there," Douglas said triumphantly.

Cassidy tripped again, and Miranda stopped to help her.

"I've got her, Miranda."

Nigel startled her by appearing next to them and hoisted Cassidy up into his arms as Miranda took Caroline's hand and started running after the others.

For a moment, Miranda wished she'd had the girls when she was a little younger. Oh of course many things would have been different, but she perhaps would have had more time for them, to give them piggyback rides and to crawl all around the living room after them while they learned to walk.

"Mommy I'm tired," Caroline panted from beside her. She knew the feeling, squeezing her eldest's hand and pulling her along.

"I know darling," she huffed. "I am too."

"Alright, alright," Douglas said suddenly, stopping them all in their tracks. "I think we're here."

"Do you think Douglas, or do you know?" Miranda snapped, feeling instantly remorseful as she did.

"Um, yeah, here's the road and there's the gate access that Roy told us about." He took another look around them. "Yeah, we're here."

"Thank God," Emily said, taking her pack off and sitting down immediately.

Miranda moved forward to help Nigel with Cassidy, leaving Caroline to collapse next to Emily with a groan.

"I know how you feel squirt," Emily said, letting Caroline use her as a pillow. "I haven't run this much since I worked as your mother's Second Assistant.

Miranda smirked as Caroline giggled, joining them on the ground as well with a wince as her back pulled.

"I'm too old for this," Miranda moaned, trying to work the kinks out.

"I hear you girlfriend," Nigel muttered, sitting down behind her and using her as a backrest.

"Mommy? I left my Gameboy," Cassidy sobbed suddenly. "I went to get it, but Andy wouldn't let me."

"Cassidy, when we make it to Andréa's grandparent's house, I shall buy you another Gameboy. Until then you're going to have to share I'm afraid."

"Come here darling, let's see if we can't think of something to do while we're waiting for Roy and Andy," Claire said, offering the little girl her knee to sit on while they waited.

Miranda sighed and leaned her head back against Nigel's shoulder. They sat in silence, getting their breath back, allowing Miranda to close her eyes and think. For all the money she had spent on getting the best help possible, nannies and tutors and sitters, she should have just called upon the people she already knew and trusted. She peeked at her two children, Caroline talking quietly to Emily and Cassidy helping Claire construct something from a pile of twigs, and she realised she should have asked them all along. They had not been there when the twins were born, but she had already come to terms with the fact that she should have been there more often when they were young.

She had tried so hard to make it up to them when they were old enough to understand, buying gifts and attending recitals, but it wasn't the same, and despite pretending that she didn't - Miranda had known that all along.

"Anyone for some juice?" Douglas asked, pulling a few things out of his bag and reaching in deeper. "I swiped these from the kitchen last night. I thought we'd save them for a special occasion," he grinned, handing out the juice boxes.

"Me please!" Caroline sat up straight away, her eyes lighting up.

Despite Caroline's maturity and every effort to become more like Miranda, she loved juice boxes. When Cassidy asked her once why she liked them so much, she'd told her that they reminded her of when they'd gone on a picnic in the park, just the three of them, before their father ran away with the barely legal Sophia.

Miranda couldn't remember even going on a picnic, but Caroline had explained it so perfectly that she couldn't argue with the imagery that Caroline had put forth.

"How long do you think we'll have to wait?" Nigel whispered, looking over his shoulder. Miranda shrugged.

"I don't know. I can't imagine what was so important to go back to the house and risk all our lives."

"Miranda," Nigel said, reaching around and taking her hand. "Roy wanted to see if they could get one of the trucks. He reckons they'd have enough gas to take us quite a long way."

"I still don't see why he had to take my Andréa."

"Because she's amazing Miranda. And Roy needed her help to navigate back."

"I just -"

"I know."

They were lulled into a tense silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Psst!"

"Guys?"

"Andréa!"

"ANDY!"

"Oh thank God!"

Miranda scrambled up off the ground, launching herself into Andréa's arms and kissing her soundly.

"Whoa Mom," one of the girls giggled, shattering the moment but not their embrace.

"I love you," Miranda said without hesitation, leaning back to look into Andréa's eyes which shone as brightly as the stars. "I do; I love you, totally and completely."

"And you know I love you," Andréa said without letting them get too caught in the moment. Ever watching out for Miranda's self-conscious heart.

"I was so worried."

"Andy! Andy!"

Miranda stepped back and let the twins crowd in, both of them laughing as they were lifted up and held tightly.

"I love you all, so much." She heard Andréa whisper. "All of you."

"We love you too, Andy," Caroline said, sniffing a little as she kissed Andréa's cheek.

"Roy, are you alright?" Miranda asked as Roy held onto Claire.

"Yes thanks, Miranda. I'm sorry I had to take her with me, but it was the best decision."

"I am just grateful you both came back," Miranda said, taking his hand.

"Hey, let's go check out what we found," Andréa said, letting a struggling Cassidy down from her arms and changing Caroline's position when she realised she wasn't getting down.

Everyone suddenly found their second wind, and followed Andréa and Roy through the trees, talking animatedly as they did so. Roy recounted in frightening detail their sprint through the woods and Miranda couldn't help but reach out and take hold of Andréa's hand. She looked over, kissing Caroline's head as she did and winked at Miranda, making them both grin a little. Andréa had fought and won. She knew that eventually when she got Andréa back to herself, however, that she'd make sure she knew never to do that to her again.

"Wow, nice wheels," Douglas said with a whistle.

Before them was a utility vehicle complete with tray and canopy. It was so big that Miranda knew it would hold all of them quite comfortably. The cabin had front and back seats and she could see why Roy had decided that this was the vehicle for them.

"I'll drive first, but we'll have to switch later on as my leg is a bit painful after all that running," Roy confessed, waving off Claire's muttering. "But I can go a fair way before we'll have to stop anyway."

"Serena and I are going in the back," Emily said immediately, blushing when everyone turned to look at her. "What? I just -"

"Babe, just leave it," Serena said, grinning at the blush Emily was now sporting.

"Fine," Roy said rolling his eyes. There's a bench seat in the front and three in the back - it'll be tight, but if anyone prefers to ride with Em and Serena?"

Miranda laughed when she saw Emily's glare, directed at both Douglas and Nigel. She almost felt like she should be taking notes when Andréa turned to look at her with a smirk on her face.

"It's alright, we'll work it out," Andréa said with that smile that Miranda loved so much.

"Girls?" Roy said, smiling as they practically jumped to attention. "How about you ride up front with Doug, Claire and I, and leave your Mom, Andy and Nigel in the back?"

"Emily, that's ridiculous. Guys, someone can come in the back with us," Serena said, rubbing Emily's back when she sighed sadly.

"Fine," Emily said, cocking her hip and jerking her head.

Miranda thought back to all the times she'd done that before and squeezed her hand as Emily walked to the back seat and got in, effectively ending the argument before it started.

Nigel and Douglas opted to go in the tray as well, leaving Miranda and Andréa, the twins and Claire to distribute themselves between the front and back.

"Can I go in the front?" Cassidy asked, looking up at Miranda with a cheeky look in her eye.

"Yes darling, you can. But you will swap with Caroline when we stop."

"Woo, okay."

Cassidy ran around to the front, grabbing Claire's hand and climbing into the big truck. Miranda watched from her seat as Caroline pulled Andréa down to her level, whispering in her ear. Andréa laughed, making Miranda's whole body sing, and nodded down to Caroline, making Caroline giggle uncontrollably.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Miranda asked as Andréa passed Caroline to her, then got into the cab herself.

"Oh, nothing," Andréa said, winking at Caroline as she did.

Months ago, Miranda would have demanded that Andréa tell her whatever it was that she and Caroline were discussing. Now though, looking at her daughter's happy face, and trusting so completely in Andréa helped her to let it go.

"Right, let's get in then," Andréa said, pulling her along and helping her in. After sitting on the floor for the last half hour or so, the seats were luxurious and she closed her eyes with a sigh, leaning her head back.

"Andy, you can sit next to Mom if you like," Caroline suggested from the door on the other side of Miranda. That made her open her eyes and she watched as Andréa kissed Caroline's cheek and practically folded her lanky legs, squeezing up to Miranda with a grin.

"Hi there," she said with that smile of hers that made Miranda's stomach flip over.

"Hello," she smirked, feeling a little bit of excitement as the doors were closed and the truck moved off.

"This is awesome," Caroline said happily.

"Oh hey, I forgot, is this yours or Cassidy's?" Andréa asked, fishing in her pocket and producing the Gameboy with a flourish.

Cassidy almost launched herself over the front seat and into Andréa's lap when she realised what she had.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much!" she said, making Miranda's heart melt. "I love you, Andy."

Andréa chuckled, leaning forward and tweaking Cassidy's nose.

"Love you too, munchkin."

Andy settled back beside Miranda and a soft silence came over the cab of the car. Miranda revelled in it, feeling all the exhaustion creep up on her after being so rudely awakened and then having to run for a considerable amount of time before they reached their destination.

"Lean on me, I need to hold you," Andréa whispered, pulling her close and wrapping her arms around her shoulders, so she could rest in the crook of her elbow feeling safe and protected.

Miranda clutched the hand to her chest, kissing it softly before allowing herself the privilege of falling asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Good evening. Hope you are all well, and still enjoying this story. As always I'd like to thank my beta for doing such a fabulous job, she really is amazing. Not really much to tell, I can't recall if I told you last chapter that we're definitely past half way, at least in terms of plot line - there may be more chapters but we're coming to the climax (ahem) of the story, but have a care. Sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better.**

**And that's all I'm going to say about that. As such, I've given you more insight than I gave the peeps over on LJ so there :P**

**Thanks for all your love and encouragement. Don't stop! :D**

-0-

Andy couldn't help but get lost in her thoughts as the party drove further through the wilderness. Roy wasn't going too fast, but they were not at a crawl either. She knew that while there would, hopefully, be no one else on the road, there could still be dangers similar to those they had already had the unfortunate experience of witnessing - abandoned cars, stray animals and the like. They could not afford to be in a wreck but Andy let him worry about that for now.

Miranda shifted in her arms and she glanced down at her lover. It didn't matter that they hadn't actually made love yet. They'd become a family in the weeks, or maybe months that they'd been travelling; she'd stopped keeping track. It made Andy feel more than a little guilty when she realised she wouldn't have changed their circumstances for any other. There was no way that their relationship would have happened back home. The city had too many eyes, and too many enemies. And yet, they were now surrounded by real enemies and Andy had never felt safer.

She and Roy had talked about what had happened back at the farmhouse. She apologised for losing it, but he had waved it off. She revealed a little about what had happened to her overseas, and he told her that he knew what she had gone through. They had smiled at each other and looked forward to showing off their new car to their extended family.

"Hey," the man in question said, breaking the silence in the truck.

"You okay honey?" Claire asked, stroking his cheek.

"I'm going to have to stop, my leg's going into cramp."

Andy nodded and watched as he pulled over, an automatic move, despite the lack of cars on the road.

"Why are we stopped?" Miranda groaned as she sat up.

"Roy needs a break. Girls?" Andy said, shaking Cassidy as softly as she could. "Caroline, wake your sister and take a bathroom break. I know it's dark, but take the torch with you, it'll be light soon enough. Stick together."

"Okay Andy," Caroline yawned.

Everyone piled out of the truck and went off to take bathroom breaks. By the time they were all sitting back at the roadside, the girls had woken up completely and Andy knew that the excess energy would only work it's way out in the car and that wouldn't be beneficial for anyone.

"Tag! You're it Caroline," Andy said, as she sidled past the little red-head.

"That's no fair."

"Whatever Caroline, bet you can't get me."

"Tag!" Caroline giggled, tapping her sister.

"Hey!"

Andy watched as they ran around the clearing, behind the car and onto the road, enjoying the freedom for now. She could tell Roy was on alert, even as he was resting, and she couldn't help the tension in her shoulders as well. The memory of the man dying right in front of her was still quite fresh.

Cassidy finally got bored of running around the vehicle and went over to her mother.

"Tag, you're it Mom!" she laughed, moving away as she did so.

"Oh Bobbsey, I think I'll sit this one out," she said, making Andy roll her eyes.

"Come on Miranda," she cajoled, going over and nudging her with her shoulder. "Stretch your legs a little."

"Andréa I cannot possibly - TAG!"

Andy stared up at Miranda as she practically skipped away, a smirk on her face that made Andy want to kiss it off.

"You so did not just do that!" Andy cried, getting up and racing forward.

"I believe that I did, in fact, do that," Miranda said, grinning like the Cheshire Cat from the other side of the truck.

"Mom's sneaky like that," Caroline giggled, making sure to stay more than an arm's length away.

Eventually Doug and Serena were ambushed into playing as well, and there was more laughter than Miranda had heard in a long time. When they finally all flopped back down, they found Roy and Claire were already packing up.

"Do we have to get back in now?" Cassidy asked from her seat against Miranda.

"I'm afraid so little one," Roy said kindly. "But you get to sit with your Mom this time. It's Caroline's turn in the front."

"I don't really want to go in the front," Caroline shrugged. "Cassidy can sit with me and Mom and Andy. There's enough room, isn't there Mom?"

"I'm sure we'll work it out Bobbsey," Miranda smiled, winking when Andy caught her eye.

"I think I shall take the front seat, if you guys don't mind?" Doug said. "I couldn't catch a wink of sleep laying back there, and I think I've bruised my backside."

"Yeah, no problem," Roy said, lifting the last pack and securing it in the tray so Emily, Serena and Nigel could fit.

Everyone piled back in the car, and Andy couldn't help but yawn. Miranda had managed some sleep during the first leg of the drive, but Andy didn't really want to tempt it. She could still see the man that died before her eyes, she could see him so clearly it frightened her, and even though Roy had talked about it briefly with her, she didn't really want to test it.

"Darling? Are you joining us?" Miranda asked, suddenly appearing before her eyes.

"Oh, yeah sorry. Let's go."

"Andréa?"

"Yeah?" she replied, spinning around with a smile plastered on her face.

"Andréa what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong, why would there be anything wrong?" she said, realising too late how forced it sounded.

"Darling?"

"I, something happened okay, when we went back for the car. It's nothing bad, and Roy and I were both fine, it's just," she sighed, "it's messing with my head. I just need to get it straight."

"Will you tell me?" Miranda whispered, stroking a finger down her cheek.

"I, I'm not ready to," Andy grimaced. "I want to, in a way. I think it's better if you don't know, but I know I have to tell you."

"You don't have to tell me Andréa, if you would prefer not to. I'm sure I would understand," Miranda said haughtily, spinning around and stalking away before Andy could say another word.

"No, wait, wait!" Andy said, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around. "You've got the wrong end of the stick."

"No, I don't," Miranda spat. "There is something that you are having trouble with and you will not share it. How is that the wrong end of the stick?"

"I don't want to expose you to it, it's pretty awful Miranda."

"Well, as I said, you can either tell me or you -"

"A guy had a gun pointed at my heart," Andy said, stopping Miranda in her tracks. "He was there, right there, as close to me as you are right now, and he grinned at me like he was going to kill me, and then, then he was dead. Roy killed him, stuck a knife right in his neck. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to throw up before we get moving."

Andy turned around and feeling all the dread she'd put off until now, she bent over and started hurling.

"Andy, are you alright?" Claire asked, coming to her side.

"Yeah, fine, I'm just -" She heaved a second time. "I just, I'll be alright."

"I'll get you some water," she whispered, tucking Andy's ponytail into her shirt.

Andy was bent over for quite a while before she felt sure enough to stand straight. She turned to see that Miranda hadn't moved from where she had left her, and although it felt like hours, she concluded that she'd only been throwing up for a few minutes.

"Feeling better?" Roy asked, patting her back.

"Yeah, just, you know," she said lamely.

"I do," he said, giving her a wink. "You ready to go?"

"Sure," she said, swirling out her mouth and spitting the water away. "Let's go."

Andy walked to the car, smiling shakily at the twins who were already buckled in and waiting.

"Are you okay Andy?" Cassidy asked, taking her hand as soon as she got in.

"I'm fine Cas," Andy replied, patting the little hand.

"Did you fight with Mom?" Caroline wondered, looking past Andy to the side of the road.

"No, well, a little, but it doesn't matter."

"She always ruins everything," Caroline grumbled, folding her arms and glaring at the back of Roy's head.

"Hey," Andy said, turning to her immediately. "Don't you ever say that about your mother. She is doing everything she can for you two, and what your mother and I talk about, or argue about, does not affect your relationship with me, am I understood?"

"Yes Andy," Cassidy whispered.

"Sorry," Caroline mumbled, looking up at her with tears in her eyes.

"I am too baby," Andy caved. "Roy, can you give me a minute?" Andy said, slipping out of the car and grabbing her toothbrush. She desperately needed to get the taste out of her mouth, and find her equilibrium again. She shouldn't have snapped at the twins.

She got back in her seat to find the twins between Miranda and herself, both of them cuddling their mother tightly. She could feel the tension rolling off Miranda in waves, but she couldn't do anything about it. She certainly didn't want to start arguing in the car, anymore than she knew Miranda would want to.

She dropped her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, picturing Miranda, rather than the man that had died in front of her, but only succeeded in merging the two images together. Andy opened her eyes, gasping for breath.

She felt someone's hand slide into her own and squeeze until she could ignore it no longer. She glanced down and found Miranda's hand in hers, the other occupied with stroking the twin's hair as they lay across them both, fast asleep and cuddled up together.

"I'm sorry," Miranda whispered, glancing at the front seat where Doug and Claire seemed to be fast asleep. "I shouldn't have pushed."

"It's okay. I'm sorry too," Andy breathed, leaning over the girls and sighing as her forehead came to rest on Miranda's. "I, I didn't want you to know, I wanted to protect you."

"I know that now," Miranda groaned. "I should have trusted you."

"You should have, but I don't expect everything to change completely. We're both new at this, so it' s okay."

Miranda smiled and Andy pulled her closer, kissing her gently, and softly placing a finger on her lips as she leaned back in and kissed her deeper.

"You're beautiful," Andy muttered, pulling back to run a finger along the bump of Miranda's nose. "Stunning."

Miranda didn't say anything, she just shook her head and let Andy pull her to her shoulder, while rearranging the twins across their laps as they sat together.

-0-

Miranda stirred when Andréa did, and she cracked open her eyes to see Roy whispering to her love over the driver's seat.

"I can't drive anymore, I'm exhausted," Roy said. "Can you do it? The map's on the dash."

"Um, I can't drive stick," Andréa admitted with a grimace.

Miranda chuckled as she came further into wakefulness.

"I think we've found something Andréa cannot actually achieve."

She was still smirking as she slipped out from under the twins, waking them in the process.

"Where are you going?" Andréa asked as she walked to the front.

"_I_ can drive a stick shift Andréa, do you imagine I can't?"

She'd never seen the young woman move so fast as she too tumbled out of the car and they swapped places with Roy and Claire in the front. She spent some time acquainting herself with the controls and the position of the seat. She glanced behind them to find the twins had shuffled over to let Claire and Roy sit together.

"I can't believe you can drive stick," Andréa whispered as Doug snored on.

"I have many hidden talents," Miranda chuckled as they set off.

It was a rather arduous drive, and she was impressed that Roy had driven so far. She was constantly on alert, checking the darkened road edges and sky for things that could potentially ruin their good fortune. And then Andréa's hand had settled on her thigh.

"Andréa!" she hissed, as it moved slowly up and down her leg.

"Yes Miranda?"

"This is difficult enough as it is without you distracting me," she smirked, glancing over at the brown eyes which were lighting up as the sun rose a little higher. "Please darling, I'm serious."

"Alright. Ruin my fun," she chuckled, checking the map again.

"You won't have to do that for much longer," Miranda mused, checking the dials again. "We're nearly out of gas."

They went a few more miles before the car started to splutter.

"Keep going Miranda," Roy said over her shoulder. "Push it as far as it will go."

Miranda did as she was told, marvelling a little at how easy it had become to do so. In her previous life, she listened to exactly three people. Her daughters, and maybe, if it was serious enough, her physician. But now she was taking orders from everyone and doing whatever she needed to do to help the group get to Andréa's place of refuge.

The car finally died and she quickly placed it in neutral and allowed it to coast to a stop.

"That's it, I am afraid," she said, looking apologetic.

"No problems Miranda. We're so much nearer the border than we were before," Roy said, patting her shoulder - another thing that had changed. "I think we should make camp somewhere close, spend the day here and then we can start walking again. It'll be tough after a break, but we should get back into it sooner rather than later."

"Are we there yet?" Doug groaned, suddenly waking up.

"Sorry Dougie. Not quite, but we're closer than we were before," Andréa placated her friend. "I vote for breakfast over a fire, then a round of naps in the sun. Anyone going to join me?"

"Me!" Caroline perked up immediately. "We're starving."

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" Andréa grinned.

It was as if all the previous darkness that seemed to threaten her very soul had evaporated, and Miranda wondered how she did it.

-0-

"Thank you Mr Ford," Nigel groaned, stretching out in the shade. "What would we have done if Roy and Andy hadn't found that car?"

"He was actually not the first inventor of the car." Miranda sighed, enjoying Andy's soft finger stroking along her stomach. "It was a man named Karl Benz."

"Only you would know that Mom," Cassidy giggled from where she was scratching out a picture in dirt.

Andy couldn't help but watch as the once precocious twins acted just as she had when she was a kid; playing in the dirt, making up games to keep themselves occupied. It was a sight to behold.

Miranda turned on her side and shuffled back against Andy's body, sighing as Andy wrapped her arms around her middle, helping her to move.

"They look so happy," Miranda muttered. "They've had so little opportunity to be children. They were always on their best behaviour, always looking their best. They missed out."

"They're making up for it now," Andy said, kissing her neck. "They look like they're enjoying it."

Andy grinned as Serena ambled off, with Emily following not-so-nonchalantly afterwards.

"I -"

"I know," Andy whispered. "I thought of asking Claire to watch the girls tonight so that I could take you on a date."

"A date, Andréa?" Miranda turned. "I am intrigued, where are you taking me?"

"Oh I thought we'd go on a picnic, where nobody can stop you, or pay any attention to you at all, so that all you and I have to do is enjoy ourselves."

"That does sound pleasant," Miranda conceded, rolling completely now. "And perhaps a walk afterwards."

"We won't be walking anywhere afterwards," Andy growled, grinning as she pressed soft kisses along Miranda's shoulder.

"Are you sure we can't go on our date now?"

"Mom?"

"Yes Bobbsey?" she replied exuberantly, slapping Andy's hip as she giggled into her neck.

"Me and Cass were thinking -"

"Cassidy and I, darling."

"Um, yeah, well we were thinking that we could stay with Claire and Roy tonight so that you and Andy can go and you know, kiss and stuff."

"Stuff?" Miranda gasped.

Andy laughed, rolling onto her back at the face she knew Miranda would be pulling. She already knew that the girls were not that little anymore, evident by the fact that Caroline had asked her if Emily and Serena wanted to go in the back of the truck so they could do the same 'kiss and stuff'. It amused her no end.

"This is your fault, isn't it?" she heard Miranda say as she rolled back over, wiping a few happy tears from her eyes.

"Yep," she grinned, winking at Caroline. "I think I vaguely remember saying the word 'stuff' a few times, so it must be me."

"Brat," Miranda said, slapping Andy's hip again and sitting up so she could talk to Caroline face to face.

"Caroline?" Andy said, stepping in before Miranda could build herself up to give a lecture so brutal that Caroline might never ask her another thing ever again. "That would be great. And thanks for making sure your Mom and I have time to 'kiss and stuff'."

"You're welcome," Caroline said, skipping back to Cassidy and whispering something to her.

"How, what -?"

"You worry too much," Andy yawned, laying back down and pulling Miranda into her shoulder. "Now you'll need all the energy you can muster for our date. I'm going to keep you up tonight, so feel free to make use of the siesta time now."

"Promises, promises darling," Miranda muttered, already breathing rhythmically into her neck.

"Definite promise," Andy muttered, falling asleep with the love of her life in her arms. She couldn't wait for later.


End file.
